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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27677197">Fate/Avengers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerb_030/pseuds/Cerb_030'>Cerb_030</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avengers (Comics), Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Prototype: Fragments of Sky Silver, Fate/stay night &amp; Related Fandoms, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Focus, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Fate/Prototype Focus, Many Characters - Freeform, Mostly Movies, Some comics lore, Still new to tagging, Worldwide Holy Grail War, expect pain, lore welding, may have sex scenes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:28:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,861</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27677197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerb_030/pseuds/Cerb_030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain America raids a Hydra base in Iceland, is drawn into a Holy Grail War along with the Avengers. A sinister secret lies behind this Grail War, with allies and enemies at every turn. What will happen as heroes clash across the World?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, another fic. I really would appreciate feedback on this, every bit is helpful. Hope you guys enjoy :)</p><p>General warnings; might change the rating depending on how things develop</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Explosions, fire, destruction. The flying fortress that would seal humanity’s fate in the hands of Hydra was crumbling around Steve Rogers. The repulsor engines had already been chewed to shreds by high calibur gunfire, and it was only a matter of time before this aerial sword would fall for good.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That didn’t matter</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>On the ground, pinned underneath a heavy steel girder, was James Buchanan Barnes. His hair was longer, his left arm was metal instead of flesh and blood, and his mind was a puppet on the strings of Hydra. He was responsible for countless unpardonable crimes, yet Steve just couldn’t believe it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hrrgghhhh!” grunted Steve with intense force; he had just been shot no less than a minute ago, and he could feel blood leaking, while his back muscles screamed in agony.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The heavy rebar easily weighed several tons, it’d be impossible for an ordinary man to make it budge an inch off the ground</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*GROAANNNN*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yet, it rose, only by around a dozen inches, but it was enough. Bucky slipped out, sensing an escape from certain death, and an opportunity to complete the mission.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*THUD*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Steve dropped the rebar, exhaustion beginning to settle in.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Your name is James Buchanan Barnes” said Steve. It was hopeless, countless targets had tried to reason with the Winter Soldier, none have ever succeeded.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shut up! retorted Bucky, head beginning to split in two. These were not his memories, they were somebody else’s</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You know me Bucky, you’re my friend…” whispered Steve. He had to see it, the cool, almost robotic veneer beginning to crack.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re my mission!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bucky slugged Steve, his cybernetic arm making contact with Steve’s face. Bone was fractured, blood spilled.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“YOU-ARE-MY-MISSION!” yelled Bucky, practically mad with fury at this point.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Even Captain America couldn’t withstand this, not this level of abuse. Yet Steve refused to fight back. Bucky had already been hurt enough.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Then finish it...because I’m with ‘til the end of the line” said Steve, doing his best to stay conscious through the brain contusions.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There, for a second, he saw it. A miracle, plain as day, Bucky saw Steve, and recognized him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>——</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon Cap, nap time is over. Though, you know you’re not helping the stereotype of senior citizens falling asleep during the day” said an arrogant, but familiar voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve opened his eyes, the interior of the Quinjet coming into focus, along with its designer; not like the latter could keep himself from reminding everyone who asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s called resting before a battle, you should try it Stark” replied Steve. Being called old didn’t really sting, but it was practically reflex to retort at this point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right...and the 50 cc’s of oxycodone in your bloodstream has nothing to do with it” replied Tony, sarcasm present in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“500 cc’s actually...anyway, did Nat inform you-“ started Steve, before being cut off by Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, hold on, did you just call her ‘Nat’? Are you two on nickname terms now? Between the Triskelion collapsing, three helicarriers shooting themselves like a demented Mexican standoff, SHIELD turning out to be a nesting ground for a Nazi death cult...did you and Romanov just tear down a Berlin Wall?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know Stark, it may surprise you, but it’s possible for a guy and a girl to be friends without anybody sleeping with each other and then regretting it the next day” said Steve, still somewhat crabby from being woken up, and quickly feeling the painkillers starting to wear off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Did you just use sarcasm? Wow, just need to see Elvis perform in drag and my list of ‘Things I’ll never see before I die’ will be complete” replied Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon Tony, settle down,” said Bruce, walking into the hanger bay from the cockpit, “Alright, Steve, Natasha gave us a general briefing before she went underground, so the general gist we got was this”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bruce took out a remote, pointing it at the wall behind him. The lights dimmed, and a projector came up, revealing a map of the Earth. On the map were 7 circles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, after Natasha uploaded all of SHIELD’s dirty laundry, Tony, Jarvis, and I sifted through that information to find 7 SHIELD bases that were built with black budget funds and staffed with agents associated with Rumlow and the Strike Team” said Bruce, he pointed at one circle in particular, with the map zooming in closer, “So, considering Tony and I were almost gunned down, you and Natasha are definitely targets, and Thor’s visiting Jane in Norway, we decided to make this an official Avenger’s mission”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, we’re heading to Norway, and then meeting up with Thor?” asked Steve for confirmation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yep, Clint is working with Natasha, they’re digging up whatever they can find. Hydra seems like bad news so...” Bruce trailed off, awkwardly looking down at his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bruce, if you don’t want to fight, you can sit this one out” said Cap, reminded of Hulk’s destructive rage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon Banner, this seems like the perfect outlet. They’re Nazis, who cares if they die” said Tony, flippant as always.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’re coming up in a half hour, so, I think I’m going to get some sleep,” said Banner, before taking a seat and nodding off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll let you two have your midday snooze, I’m going to make a call” said Tony, walking into the cockpit section, closing the door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve leaned his head back, trying to get as much rest as he could. It had been a week since his fight with Bucky aboard the helicarrier. He rested his arm on his shield, resting in the seat next to him. Memories of the past stirred within him; the last time he saw Bucky before being frozen, his last talk with Peggy before crash landing the bomber, hanging out with Howard during in the Research lab.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite the horrors associated with it, the war seemed to be the last time Steve felt like he belonged. Eventually, Steve nodded off to sleep, dreaming of Peggy, and the dance he owed her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, these...Hydras are the ones responsible for the most recent chaos in Midgard?” said Thor, drinking a large pint of beer</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony, Steve, and Bruce sat across from Thor and Jane, having just filled Thor in on the events of the past week.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s more or less the idea” said Bruce, drinking water from his glass. The last thing he needed was for the green guy to come out buzzed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, that’s the mission. We hunt them down, save the world, and be back home in time for happy hour” said Tony, drinking his 3rd whiskey.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ms. Porter, we apologize for cutting your vacation short, but we need to borrow Thor from you for a bit” said Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, it’s no problem, class starts in a couple days anyway, so it’s not bad timing” said Jane, also drinking water, and rifling through a complex science text book, “Still, Hydra...I remember Darcy mentioned them in one of her poli-sci classes; guess I should have listened to her a bit more…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cap took another sip of his beer, which was practically water for how fast his body would break down the small amount of alcohol, as he pondered the idea that Jane was also on Hydra’s kill list, along with 100 million other people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Banner, where is the fortress of these Hydra rabble rousers? They will rue making an enemy of the Odinson and his allies!!” yelled Thor, slamming his tankard on the wooden table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes, the closest base is actually in Iceland…” muttered Bruce, taking out a tablet to indicate the exact location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Iceland? Ah yes, your bards got it confused with Greenland, funny coincidence really. Well then, Jane, I’m afraid I must leave you now, unless you wish to take up arms and assault a fortress” said Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No thanks, I got a class in Quarternarian Physics I’m looking forward to, so can’t go off fighting Nazis in Iceland” replied Jane, with a slight twist into sarcasm to elicit a smirk from Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quarternarian Physics? Maybe College might be good for something after all” said Tony, finishing his third glass of whiskey, “Alright Point-Break, saddle up!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not understand your reference Stark, perhaps one of these days you’ll explain them to me” replied Thor, “Steve, I assume you’ll be leading us into battle? These Hydras are your enemies from the last war, if I’m not mistaken?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got an idea on how we’ll approach the base; with some satellite images Jarvis took from us, we’ll capture it efficiently and use it to track the rest!” said Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all stood up and made to leave the tavern, walking to the Quinnjet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve grasped his trusty shield, the familiar weight and shape relaxing his heart rate as he quickly, but quietly crossed a snow-covered field.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good, this minefield was set up in a hurry, so they aren’t placed in optimal locations, just avoid them and you’ll cross before the blind spot is covered” said an electronic voice in Steve’s ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Icelandic Hydra Base was located on an island off the North coast of the mainland. The architecture was a bizarre hybrid of older, Cold-War era design of the southern half, and a newer, modern annex building East from there. The older building was only two stories tall, and was fairly rectangular and utilitarian. The annex building easily stood 5 stories tall and was packed with a ton of cameras and drones scanning the perimeter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So, chances are, the base has heavy point-defense weapons; considering what we found on the Helicarrier in New York, it’s fair to say they’d probably have enough firepower to take out Stark’s suits and at least put a dent into Thor or Hulk” said Steve, remembering the large energy canon he had confronted Fury over.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I had Jarvis analyze heat and electrical output across the entire island; that hunk of junk is radiating as much exhaust as a small city” said Tony, pointing to the smaller, practically dilapidated building.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There are two levels of defense then; potential attackers are drawn to the brighter, more modern looking tower, armed to the teeth. When they take the building, they find nothing, at which point, the Hydras escape underground, where the true keep is” said Thor.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So Rip Van Winkle, what’s our approach?” asked Tony, gazing at a 3-D hologram of the Hydra base being projected in the Quinjet.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We’ll need to send someone in to disable their defenses from the inside, as well as someone to take aerial reconnaissance” said Steve.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There weren't that many options; ideally, Natasha or Clint would be the best infiltrators. Thor and Tony simply stood out too much, though for different reasons, and Bruce couldn’t fight without turning into the Hulk, which would then throw the mission out. Steve was their best choice.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve threw his shield, bouncing it off a nearby pillar to ricochet it around a corner and take out a guard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good job, Steve, there’s two more up ahead” said Bruce, voice echoing in the two-way transceiver in Steve’s ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve scaled the pillar, staying out of sight of the guards, then broke a window to enter the building. Despite the outside exterior, the inside was...unusual. The room had a certain aura to it; almost as if the air was too thick and the moisture rancid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Death, that was the perfect way to put it. It’s not as if something had died, so much as there had been too much death in this room. To Steve’s back were several metal containers with handles attached, akin to a morgue. In the center of the room was a table with several suspicious stains on top of a sterile green tarp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Cap, there’s around 50 dead bodies on the top floor, along with a bunch of these,” said Morita, handing a folder of mostly burnt documents and photos to Steve</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Steve, Howard Stark, and Peggy Carter were in the command tent of a makeshift FOB outside the tiny town of Litzenberg. According to Colonel Phillips, British Intelligence had tracked Baron Heinrich Zemo, a personal aide to Himmler, to a seemingly abandoned lumber mill 10 miles outside the town walls. Steve and his Howling Commandos were sent in to apprehend Zemo, but he somehow escaped capture, setting fire to the mill in the struggle.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The documents were almost completely reduced to cinders, any writing was illegible. Steve smelled the faint trace of acetone, familiar with the scent from his mother’s case of makeup. Zemo was quite thorough in making sure nobody would find out what happened.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There were a few papers on the very bottom, which had escaped the worst of the flames; Steve could make out the barest traces of black ink.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Let me take a look at those,” said Howard, grabbing the bottom stacked papers with a pair of metal tongs.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Howard set the papers down gingerly on a blank sheet of paper. He then took out a bottle of solution, washing the sheet in the substance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Anyone have a lighter? Gave up smoking” said Howard.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Here” said Peggy, offering a matchbook to Howard.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>With a single match, the burnt paper reignited, this time burning an unusual pink hue. The bottom, clean, paper did not burn, but Steve could see markings beginning to form.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Remarkable! With some modifications, the human body can ——. The power can be stored inside gemstones, a natural——. —Prana capacity will be fathomless’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The note didn’t have too much information they could extract. For his part, Steve couldn’t recognize most of the wording, relying on Peggy to decipher the faint scrawl.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Prana, an energy source associated with mysticism in older spiritual beliefs” said Peggy, after reading the last paper, “I recall MI6 mentioning that Himmler was involved in some occultic dealings”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, but you can’t honestly believe in any of this superstition? Magic and sorcery? It’s gotta be a ruse, to throw us off their trail. It’s probably code for some sort of new power source, like nuclear fission, or efficient solar stills” said Howard, unbelieving of the note’s contents.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Maybe so, but the people in the town are frightened. They’ve lost loved ones, taken to that mill, killed, and experimented on, and for what purpose? Zemo seemed to believe he had found a breakthrough” replied Peggy, pointing to the inconsistency in Howard’s logic.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They were interrupted by Bucky entering through the tent, face grim.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We found something, a basement,” said Bucky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The four of them went into the mill, careful not to disturb any of the wreckage. The roof had mostly burnt out, but chunks clung to the metal support beams. Bucky directed them to a secret hatch, hidden beneath a false floor, and opened it for them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The hatch hid a set of stairs leading underground, the hallway eventually ending at a vault safe built into the foundation.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Bach 88, old but solid design. We’d need my cutter from back home to get this thing open” said Howard, noticing the thickness of the safe.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t suppose we could tear it out and drag it back to the States?” asked Steve.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Definitely not a good idea, the cavity in the concrete housing the safe is lined with enough high explosives to blow up the mill...and half the town” said Bucky, pressing his hand against the dial.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He turned the dial, listening carefully for the tumblers to line up exactly. The numbers didn’t matter, only the mechanisms inside. First clockwise, then counterclockwise, continue counter, then…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*CLICK*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The safe door opened, revealing the contents within…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Steve, something...just happened,” said Bruce, voice breaking Steve out of his trance, “You came in through the 2nd floor window, but now your tracker says you’re underground”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It must be broken, there’s no way-” Steve’s words were sailed in his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Upon turning around, Steve noticed there was no window. He was certain he broke a window from the top floor, but the room he was in now had no windows. There was no broken glass, and neither was there any moonlight coming through. The only light source were the cold fluorescent lights affixed to the ceiling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the matter, Cap, need us to bail you out?” asked Tony over the line.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Negative, don’t engage until I’ve shut down their defenses!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve ran over to the only door, unnerved by the disturbing atmosphere. The room smelt of sweet syrup, akin to a carnivorous plant. The door was locked, but a solid kick to the frame knocked it down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room was part of a much larger complex underground: the center of the complex was a separate building, which resembled a macabre executioner’s ground; four people, two men and two women, were hung from a gallows assembled, along with another person in a guillotine. Finally, a third person strung up to 4 horses, in the process of being quartered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Upon closer inspection, the ‘people’ seemed to be dolls made of wax and clockwork, with their ‘faces’ being made up of assorted gemstones. Eerily, the ‘dolls’ seemed to subtly change color over time; their skin was originally a dull gray, but were now a rusty brown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steve, anything on your end?” asked Bruce, voice sounding slightly concerned, “Is this a Code Green?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, just...I think we may need to have Thor take a look at this place once we’re done” said Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shortly after he said that, the room began to glow, the dolls turned into a brilliant golden color, before the various execution contraptions began activating. Dolls were hung from the gallows; another doll was beheaded, and the third one was torn apart by horses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With their ‘deaths’, such that they were, the dolls crumbled into dust, and the gemstones melted into the floor. The slurry of melted precious gems and dust flowed across the floor, eventually taking the form of a circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was surprised when I heard the alarms go off; we had predicted it would take another 3 days before our base would be stormed, let alone for the Avengers themselves to find us” said a male voice, echoing through the darkened complex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve readied his shield, every sense firing at full capacity, to parry and defend against a possible attack. Keenly, the voice felt familiar…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, the rumors were true after all…” said Steve, in German.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed they are, my dear Captain America” confirmed the voice, also in German, “It is I, Baron Heinrich Zemo, I can see you’ve also made it to the modern world, Captain”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The circle began drawing new lines, forming an unusual sigil. Steve noted that it didn’t look like any of the traditional occultic icons or symbols associated with Himmler’s Thule Society.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bruce, this is a Code Green, stealth is NOT an option” muttered Steve into his throat microphone. Howard Stark didn’t believe in concepts like the occult or magic, but even he was disturbed by the research uncovered by Steve and the Howling Commandos when they raided the Litzenburg facility.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing solid was ever found, but there was always bodies and blood wherever Zemo turned up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see that you are trying to contact your comrades, my dear Captain America, but it is too late. Once my summoning circle is complete, I shall command the greatest hero in the world, Sigurd, the King of Warriors!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The circle began glowing more intensely, while the sigil inside became more complex and intricate. Within the light, Steve could make out Zemo’s general silhouette; he had taken to wearing a mask since the fire in Litzenberg, but Steve could never forget his his grandiose posturing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not if I have anything to say about it!” yelled Steve, launching himself at Zemo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Almost as if trying to grasp smoke, Cap simply passed through Zemo, falling behind Zemo’s figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do not take me for a fool, my dear Captain. As mighty as I am, I learned from our last encounter in Litzenberg. I’ll let Sigurd take care of you once he is here; the hero of old will spill the blood of the hero of the new, and the Fatherland will rise once again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve picked himself up, analyzing his options. Zemo was planning on using magic to summon a hero, Sigurd, apparently. Steve couldn’t begin to wrap his head around magic or how it worked, but apparently, Zemo needed this circle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*RUMBLE*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve could hear vibrations above, Thor, Tony, and Bruce had probably joined the fray already. Internally, Steve felt that he had already failed his mission and couldn’t disable the big guns; but whatever Zemo was planning needed to be stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“HARGHHHH!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve planted his shield into the upper arc of the circle, hoping to disable it somehow. To his surprise, this seemed to stop the circle from growing. However, the shield began vibrating and glowing, before being forcefully ejected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not bad, dear Captain, I have underestimated you again. Oh wait, I didn’t!” said Zemo, snapping his fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Armored knights began rising out of the ground, and marched towards Steve’s position. There were three of them, each 8 feet tall, and armed with a sword, spear, and axe. Steve picked up his shield and charged the one on the left, the axe knight. The knight raised its axe and slammed it down, but Steve parried the blow, slipping behind the knight, and striking the back of its head with his shield.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A solid hit, and a certain kill against a human opponent. Indeed, the shield’s edge had sliced the top of the knight’s scalp off, revealing a bizarre combination of human viscera, stone, and gears. These were dolls as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a monster,” said Steve, putting two and two together. The bodies in the previous room, and the bodies from the mill in Litzenberg, they were both used as materials to build these puppets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No no, I am not a monster, dear Captain. The human body has so many useful components; it’d be a waste to dispose of them after death. It’d be like throwing gold into the trash. They can be far more useful in death, than they were in life. And speaking of death…” said Zemo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The circle was massive by now, while the glowing was at its peak. Steve had to act now, or they were done for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve ran to the center of the circle, and slammed his shield into the ground, halting the circle’s growth. This time, he planted his feet in the ground, using his body to keep the shield in place; Thor, Tony, and Hulk were out there, if Steve could keep this area for just a few more seconds, they could do something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could hear the three knights approaching, the axe knight undeterred by its injury. They were slow and uncoordinated, but Steve couldn’t move, or the shield would be forced out, and the circle would be complete.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spear knight raised its spear, and drove it into Steve’s back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“GAGHHH” cried Steve in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His armor took the brunt of the damage, but he could feel blood beginning to leak out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dear Captain America, I am moved by your dedication, but it is hopeless. I’d rather you die by Sigurd’s hand, not by these ugly dolls. What drives you, dear Captain, to sacrifice yourself for the sheep that run this world?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sword knight ran its sword across Steve’s side, cutting a gash into his torso. No matter what, Steve refused to let go or loosen his grip. The pain was overwhelming, and he could feel the metal begin cutting into his hands from the force.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>---------------</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Remember Steve, when you find something worth fighting for, you stand by it. You plant yourself like a tree and refuse to budge. No matter what the politicians, or the papers, or anyone else says, you know when something is right and wrong. You don’t waver, you tell them to move”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want to know? It’s simple: this is the right thing to do. Easy as that” replied Steve, barely able to speak or talk through his slashed side, “I refuse to budge, and if it costs me my life to keep my comrades safe, so be it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Quite beautiful Captain, truly so…” said Zemo, voice sounding morose for a second, “Very well, if you’re to offer your life, I will simply have to take it”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The axe knight walked up, Steve knew this was it, another hit from those armored knights and Steve really would die. Still, he knew this, and refused to move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strangely, the circle began to change; with the shield stopping the flow of power, it was beginning to accumulate in a way it was never supposed to. The knight raised it axe for a death blow, and then-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I offer you my spear, he of noble soul...”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A voice, a woman’s voice echoed through Steve’s mind. He felt a burning sensation in his right hand, as if a red-hot poker was being pressed to his bare flesh. A massive burst of light was released, knocking back all three knights and Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The light radiated throughout the complex, shattering many structures and items around Zemo’s workshop. Neither Steve nor Zemo could see anything for a second, and the knights went inert without a command from their creator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the light faded, the circle disappeared, and in its place...was a woman. Well, almost; to call her a woman would be a gross understatement. She was absolutely gorgeous, her face perfectly flawless and geometrically ideal; her white hair was long and flowing, seeming to glow on its own; she was dressed in a garment that emphasized her long legs and lovely body, but was also adorned with sky blue armor with black tattoos adorning her thighs and elbows. In her hands was a massive spear, with dark purple and golden ornamentation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve had always considered himself a Catholic at heart, he truly believed in God, but the woman in front of him could claim to be a Goddess of a forgotten pantheon, and Steve could believe her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I ask of you, are you my Master?” asked the woman, voice and eyes directed towards Steve. Her voice made his heart skip a beat, it was as lovely as her appearance, though both her voice and eyes were unusually cold and sedate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! This is wrong!! My relic was for the King of Warriors! Captain America, you have ruined my plots for the last time! Lancer, kill him then cut down the rest of the Avengers!!!” said Zemo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve could see him clearly this time, apparently he had to appear in person since the flash of light damaged his workshop. However, the woman refused to listen to him, instead reaching down, and ran her fingers across Steve’s gloved right hand. Without a word, Steve removed his glove, and…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What-what are those?” asked Steve out loud. On his right hand was a red tattoo, lightly glowing, and in the shape of two concentric circles with a simple star in the center.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those are the Command Seals, designating you as my Master,” said the woman. She stood up, then took a kneel, placing her spear tip in the ground, “I am Servant Lancer, Firstborn of the Valkyries and Hero of the Spear. I entrust myself to you, my Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Master?” asked Steve, confused at the recent turn of events.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without a warning, the three knights reanimated, and made to attack the injured Avenger. Steve reached for his shield, but his injuries made him unable to react fast enough. However…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*SHKING* *CRUMBLE*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer’s spear, previously in the ground, was now impaled through two of the knights. Despite their solid appearance and menacing aura, the spear pierced their bodies as if they were made of tissue paper. Instantly, the two knights burst into fantastic blue flames, and were quickly reduced to ashes. The axe knight, barely avoiding the spear, tried to attack Lancer from her left side, away from the spear. Lancer’s armored gauntlet caught the axe with no injury, and after placing her spear back into the ground, drew a symbol in the air. Instantly, the axe knight crumpled, before melting into a pile of dust, blood, and metal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, you are injured, please hold still” said Lancer, reaching down to treat Steve’s injuries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll live, focus on Zemo” said Steve, grunting his response through the pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Master, you are bleeding quite heavily, it is already a miracle to the Allfather that you haven’t died from your injuries. I will tend to your wounds first…” replied Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She kneeled down, and drew another symbol, different from the one she used against the axe knight, and then tapped Steve’s torso with her index and middle fingers. A light emanated and traveled from Lancer to Steve, traveling to his wounds and settling there. Immediately, Steve felt the pain and leaking blood cease, and to his astonishment, the severed flesh and bone began to mend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That...that feels pretty good” muttered Steve grudgingly. The woman, Lancer, didn’t respond, but her eyes seemed to soften a bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two were still for a moment, Steve letting Lancer’s magic heal his injured body, and Lancer analyzing her Master. He seemed quite unusual, wearing a red, white, and blue warrior’s garb, and with a matching round shield as his only weapon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a quiet moment, until…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain America, you swine!! You have swindled me out of my Servant, so I’ll make sure you won’t ever be a threat to Hydra ever again!” yelled Zemo, thoroughly enraged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the workshop began shaking, Lancer was ready with her spear, but couldn’t see the source of the attack. Her Magic Resistance should protect her from most magecraft from a modern Magus, but her Master wasn’t fully healed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zemo tore off his mask, revealing his burned face and milky white eyes. Dozens upon dozens of dolls raised from the ground, several of them deformed and nowhere near as sturdy as the knights from before. Even a hundred of these dolls were no danger to a Servant, let alone Lancer. However, rather than use them to attack, they all melted, just like the ones used to make the circle. The slurry began glowing, and then violently spread throughout the entire workshop, and then exploded with intense force. The resulting energy converging to a single point, and barreled straight towards Steve and Lancer</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Heil...Hydra!” yelled Zemo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was a sacrificial attack; Zemo would sacrifice 70 years of stored Prana in his dolls and gemstones to wipe out two people. This attack was of overwhelming force, even a Magus Killer might not survive this. Lancer raised her spear; even if she fell in battle, she would die like a Warrior Maiden.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve, however, grabbed his shield and jumped into the brunt of the blast.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, another chapter.  Be prepared for a crazy story, full of twists and turns. Also, rating for language.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>There is darkness, along with an overwhelming sense of dread and terror; not from a vicious animal or general malaise of nature, but from the worst impulses of mankind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A soft, small hand, belonging to a boy who hasn’t even turned 10 yet, pushes on a solid surface, cracking a light into the void surrounding him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“There’s an empty bottle of whiskey on the floor that wasn’t here yesterday!” yelled a female voice, “Did you even go into town to look for work!?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy saw his mother, blonde hair tied with a red bandanna and marked with gray strands, confronting his father, lying in a moth-eaten chair, blue eyes scrunching in shame and anger</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nobody’s hiring Irish out there, get off my back, woman!” replied the man.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s bullshit! There’s plenty of jobs out there, you just have to go out and-“</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The woman was cut off by her husband standing up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And do what?! Work like a dog for shit pay like a yellow Chink?!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Despite the sudden outburst, the woman didn’t back down, but instead raised herself higher.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t talk like that in this apartment, not in front of Steve! He’s our boy; I work in the hospital 60 hours a week for him, and I refuse to let you get drunk and mope around here feeling sorry for yourself!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*THWACK*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The man struck the woman; the sound of her back hitting the hard floor reverberated through the ramshackle apartment, certainly loud enough for the boy to feel in his cage of darkness.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>However, without a whimper nor a sigh, the woman stood back up. Despite nursing another bruise on her face, her eyes were still full of fight and fury.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You want another one!?” yelled the man, sickened at the sight.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I told you, I refuse to let you get drunk and waste your life here. Now get out, and find a job!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The man was bewildered; in his drunken state, he grabbed the empty whiskey bottle and hurled it at the woman.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>*SPLATTER*</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The battle shattered against her hands, which were raised reflexively to protect her face. Upon seeing the blood, the man stepped back, opened the door, and left.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Upon hearing the door close, and the sound of the deadbolt being set, the boy left his closet, and went to his mother.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mom…” whispered the boy, horrified at the sight of his mother’s condition.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m okay, sweetie, just a few small cute. Could you be a dear and fetch the small box under the sink? You know the one?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy nodded, and went to retrieve the object in question. It was a small cardboard box with hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, and bandages.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy opened the bottle of peroxide, while the mother used the tweezers to extract shards of glass in her arms and hands. Thankfully, the pieces did not dig in very deep, but it was painful work.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>After several minutes of silence, the woman’s arms and hands were cleaned and bandaged, matching a bandage on her left leg.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Mom...why do you keep on fighting with dad...he-he keeps on hitting you because of…” whispered Steve, unable to finish his statement.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The mother stroked the back of his head, and hugged the boy tightly, pressing his tear stroked face against her torso.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Because it’s the right thing to do, sweetie. Your father...let circumstances change him into a weak man. That’s why it’s important to stay strong, to plant yourself like a tree, and refuse to budge”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The boy’s sniffling continued, but he felt the warmth of his mother’s hug and voice comfort him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Remember Steve, when you find something worth fighting for, you stand by it. You plant yourself like a tree and refuse to budge. No matter what the politicians, or the papers, or anyone else says, you know when something is right and wrong. You don’t waver, you tell them to move”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve Rogers opened his eyes, suppressing the urge to retch as pain assaulted his head. He could feel his arms, legs, and head, so that was a good thing, and nothing felt broken; even better. Unfortunately, every nerve was screaming in pain, but Steve couldn’t recognize the source. He felt warm though, and noticed a bright light from the corner of his left eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a Herculean effort, Steve sat up, vision blurring before focusing on a woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer, even with his head flushed and body in tatters, Steve could recognize her long white hair, and otherworldly beauty. He noticed her large, ornamentally carved spear was missing though. She was sitting on a stump, recently cut down, in front of a fire. Her eyes were closed, though her chest was still moving, but at a reduced speed; she was asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer” said Steve, recalling what Zemo had called her when she appeared in a flash of light. He reached out his right hand, red tattoo engraved on the back; it certainly wasn’t a dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt a...connection, to her, as if there were an invisible tube connecting the air in Steve’s chest to the woman before him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancers eyes opened, and Steve felt the connection grow, as if the invisible tube’s circumference had increased. Steve felt some of his strength sap, though just by a bit; Lancer’s eyes regarded him, and Steve could feel something behind her gaze. As if, she was staring at someone she had recognized, for just an instant. The sensation disappeared, and Lancer simply walked up to Steve, casually stepping over the large fire in between the two of them, and cupped Steve’s face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master...you’re awake?” asked Lancer, with curiosity, “Do you feel any pain?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhh, yeah. Everywhere” replied Steve, it was entirely truthful after all, “And, why are you calling me Master?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer drew another glyph, sweeping it over Steve’s body, and stopped at his right arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your right arm is still broken, it will take the longest to heal,” said Lancer, closing her eyes, gathering her thoughts,before opening them, “Master, it was foolish to throw yourself into the Magus’s attack. As your Servant, I am your spear; it should be me who confronts your enemies”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt a hint of blush creep into his face; Tony would never let him hear the end of it if he could see the two of them right now. The woman in front of him was superhuman; she probably could’ve cleared out Zola’s base by herself without trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess, when I see something going south, I can’t help myself,” said Steve, grimacing in wry amusement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer lips curled, just by a hair’s width. To most people, it would be imperceptible, but Lancer’s previous emotionless facade made it quite visible. She was smiling, her loveliness magnified a thousandfold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was quite noble, but don’t do that again Master. If you die, I will fade as well; if I die, you may still keep your life” said Brynhildr, before her face returned to its stoic grim tone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why is that?” asked Steve, curious about her words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer didn’t answer immediately, but instead regarded Steve again. Her hand created another sigil, Steve noticed it was similar to the last one, and placed it on his chest, right in the middle. Her eyebrows raised slightly, a sign of intense shock coming from Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master...are you not a Magus?” asked Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Magus? I went to Sunday school, but can’t say I’ve met Jesus in a manger except for the school play” replied Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I see. I suppose I should start from the beginning” said Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The white haired woman stood up, and in a flash of light, her spear reappeared in her hand. Steve felt the pressure increase, as the invisible tube grew even larger. Thankfully, it wasn’t quite as bad as last time; Steve wasn’t caught off guard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am Servant Lancer, Hero of the Spear. I am one of the Heroic Spirits chosen to participate in the Grand Holy Grail War. You are my Master, selected by the Grail to summon a Servant, and command them in battle. Those symbols on your right hand are Command Seals, signifying your right as a Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt his head spin; this woman was a Servant, a Hero? And apparently, there were more people like her, Servants, summoned as well</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, the Holy Grail? Like, the goblet used by Jesus during the Last Supper?” asked Steve, wondering how a cup could summon a woman with a spear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not know, I have never laid eyes upon the Holy Grail myself. However, I know that it call to us, across time and space, and summons us to the modern world to battle one another”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve was beginning to piece things together from Lancer’s explanation. The Grail, whether an actual Holy Grail or not, summons Heroes from the past to do battle as Servants. Each Servant is summoned in a particular Class, to bind their power and bring them under control. Lancer’s Class was...Lancer, as she wielded a spear; a Saber would use a sword, an Archer would use a bow, Rider would possess a mount, Assassin would use stealth, Caster would use magic, and Berserkers would use madness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do Servants fight? What’s the point of it all?” asked Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The last Servant and Master pair will receive the Holy Grail, which is supposed to hold the power to grant a wish” said Brynhildr, “I cannot speak for the other Servants and Masters, but I would conjecture they desire a wish only the Grail could provide”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve was surprised; people were willing to fight and kill to obtain a Grail that grants wishes. Zemo was planning to summon a Servant, and Steve had apparently hijacked the ritual. Does that mean he had a wish? One strong enough to catch the attention of the Grail?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve’s thoughts turned to Bucky, and their last meeting on the helicarrier. Could the Grail reverse Hydra’s brainwashing? Could it fix Bucky?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How many Servants are there, besides us?” asked Steve, weighing his options. If the other Masters were like Zemo, the Avengers would fight them as a matter of course; having Lancer on the team and saving Bucky was just a bonus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To my knowledge, I am the fifth Servant summoned, but there will be a total of 16” responded Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sixteen; that means 15 enemies as strong as Lancer; and the Masters as well. It would be a tough fight, thought Steve, but between Lancer and the Avengers, nobody could defeat them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt the temperature begin dropping, while the last traces of sunlight left the sky. Indeed, the moon, full in its glory, was now fully visible. The stars were bright and easy to see…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute…” muttered Steve. Ursa Major and Polaris were not in their proper location; not for Iceland in the fall…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...?” Lancer tilted her head in curiosity</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer...where are we?” asked Steve, feeling apprehensive about the answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not know exactly. The heretical Magus’s attack caused us to vanish and reappear in this location. Judging by the star, I believe we are in the British Isles, Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt like pinching himself; he and Lancer really were teleported by Zemo’s final attack. Judging by the lack of light pollution, they must be pretty far away from a major city. Steve checked his pockets for his cell phone; instead, he found a melted lump of plastic and silicone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like we’re stuck here until I find a phone to call Tony” muttered Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can leave when your injuries have finished healing, Master. Right now, I am using a Bounded Field to protect us”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer motioned to a spot in the snow, a few feet away from Steve. Sigils and Runes were etched into the frozen soil, glowing with magical energy, and connected to each other to form a circle encompassing Steve, Lancer, and their small camp. Steve sat up, painfully, to get a better look; Lancer had created a small shelter for him to recover, a simple lean-to with a fire, but once Steve properly looked outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are those?” asked Steve, grabbing his shield, thankfully undamaged, on reflex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were people walking around, head to shoulder, draped into black cloaks and eerie masks. Despite the large group, easily 40 or more, Steve noticed their builds and gait were identical, like robots. Every time one of them approached Lancer’s circle, they’d reappear on the other side, ‘skipping’ over Steve and Lancer’s actual location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not know, but they appeared shortly after we did. They’ve been here since noon, looking for us” replied Lancer, dematerializing her spear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, Lancer opened her palm, a rune appearing in her hand. Intense blue flames appeared, before jetting out at supersonic speeds. The ball of blue flame collided square in the chest of one of the masked figures, engulfing it in flames. With such incredible force and intense heat, the figure must have died instantly, however, it’s brethren were undeterred, not even noticing the death of one of their own. They simply continued searching, unconcerned with anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like they’re not leaving anytime soon…” quipped Steve, “Are those Servants?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, they are not heroes. They are...puppets, controlled by someone else. They may be tools used by a Caster Servant, however” said Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caster, the one that uses magic?” asked Steve, remembering Lancer’s lecture about the Holy Grail War and Servants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I possess Magic Resistance, which would make direct confrontation unwise for a Caster Class Servant, so they may be making use of thralls to assail us”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Magic Resistance?” asked Steve. He felt somewhat embarrassed, having to ask Lancer for every detail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Allow me, this will answer most of those questions, Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer placed another rune towards Steve’s head; he felt something flow into him, through the same connection he had with Lancer, only backwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Steve saw a words come into his sight, appearing when he saw Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Servant: Lancer</b>
</p><p>
  <b>True Name: Unknown</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Noble Phantasm: Unknown</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Class Skills: </b>
</p><p>
  <b>Magic Resistance - B</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Riding - A</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Divinity - E</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Personal Skills:</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Prana Burst (Flames) - B</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Primordial Rune</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Hero’s Shieldmaiden - C</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Parameters:</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Strength: B+</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Endurance: A</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Agility: A</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Mana: C</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Luck: E</b>
</p><p>
  <b>NP: A</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With each focus on a word, information filled Steve’s mind, explaining most aspects. Lancer’s strengths, weaknesses, abilities and so on were provided to Steve, all except one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was logical; Heroes from myths and legends were well-known, and many heroes were felled by particular weaknesses. As Servants, they carry those weaknesses even now, so a Servant’s True Name would reveal important information to the opponent. As a result, they use the name of their Class.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My head…” said Steve, wincing in pain at the sudden influx of information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hehe…” giggled Lancer, “The same thing happened with…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer stopped, gazing at Steve with a wistful stare, as if seeing somebody in his place. As she moved closer, she placed her hand on Steve’s shield. Her eyes returned to normal, and, without missing a beat, she used another rune to incinerate another hooded figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I apologize Master, but I should return to sleep. My protection will hold out, and you must recover”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer…” started Steve, but Lancer turned her back, silencing Steve’s attempt to talk with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Truthfully, he knew she was right. it wouldn’t do well to fight heroes in this condition, but Steve couldn’t help but notice that something had happened with Lancer for a split second, it seemed like she wasn’t looking at him, but someone else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master...whatever your wish is...think of me as your tool. Don’t...don’t be kind to me…” said Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve thought of the idea as ridiculous, how could anybody call themselves a tool. As long as someone could feel pain and happiness, they were a living being that deserved respect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steve Rogers” said Steve, before sitting down in the makeshift shelter Lancer had made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” Lancer turned around, acknowledging Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s my name. I don’t like being called Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. Well, focus on recovering Mas-erm, Steve”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve let his eyelids drop, as sleep overtook him. He felt exhausted just from talking with Lancer. Probably the result of losing Prana, as Lancer had described it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve fell asleep, while Lancer did the same. As a Servant, she didn’t need sleep, but sleep allowed her to minimize the amount of magical energy needed to continue existing. She couldn’t shift into spirit form either, or else her Bounded Field would collapse as well, so this was the only medium she could reach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master is...like Sigurd”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The full moon was high in the night sky, filling an old. abandoned house with lustrous moonlight. In the moonlight was a large circle, glowing under its own power. A young woman stood outside the circle, holding a small satchel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I offer up these gems, take them as payment for this boon” said the woman. She was by herself, with no other living being in sight, still, she continued to speak.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am all that is good in this world, I am the one who calls thy name. If thou art a hero, answer my call!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The circle’s light grew in intensity, and a flash followed, blinding the woman temporarily. When the light disappeared, the woman was no longer alone; within the circle was a man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had short, thick blonde hair, while also equipped with brilliant silver armor, and holding a golden sword. The man rose and opened his beautiful green eyes, regarding the young woman in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have accepted your call. I am Servant Saber, Arthur Pendragon!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman’s face was stunned, then turned into a beaming smile. The woman was young, around college age, and her bright blue eyes shined with excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am your Master, Saber, and together, we’ll win the Grand Holy Grail War” said Rin Tohsaka, ecstatic at her fortune.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had given up quite a few expensive gemstones to rig things in her favor. She wanted a Saber Class Servant, said to be the strongest. Not only had the Grail answered her wishes, but she had summoned King Arthur, easily one of the greatest heroes in the world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*SNAP*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A piece of ceiling had broken off, and was going to land on Rin. Before she could react, she felt a pair of strong, but gentle hands scoop her up</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saber had crossed the distance, picked her up, and deposited her in a safer location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was a close one, Master. Perhaps we should relocate to a safer location?” suggested Saber. He didn’t know why, but felt it unwise to ask his Master why she had summoned him in such a dilapidated dwelling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahh! Yes, good suggestion Saber!” said Rin, trying her best to keep her facade of an ‘ideal’ Master.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them exited the house, and not a moment too soon, as the building collapsed shortly after. Rin felt her face lose a bit of color; if her timing was a bit off, she may have actually died in that house before summoning her Saber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that we have a bit more time to talk, I am Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons, and Servant of the Sword. I swear to be your sword and protect you from all harm, Master!” said Saber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin felt her face turn red as red as her sweater; despite considering herself somewhat jaded towards most boys’ pickup lines, Saber’s perfect knight in shining armor mystique seemed to punch a hole through her defenses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’ll have a chance to prove yourself, Saber. As the Tohsaka heir, it’s only natural that I summon the strongest Servant! The other Masters might as well give up right now, we’re unstoppable!” said Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur stood up, and smiled at his Master’s antics. Despite how much she tried to hide it, she was feeling nervous about the Grand Holy Grail War, wasn’t she?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Relax Master, I promise to protect you, so you don’t have to be afraid” said Saber with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who said I was afraid?!” questioned Rin, dislike Saber’s implication, “I said we’ll win this with absolutely ZERO problems! And we will!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well, we should-“ started Saber, before stopping. He felt a shadow of death crawl about the air, only known to Arthur thanks to his exceptional Instinct. However, the target wasn’t him, but…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh, Saber, what was that?” asked Rin, confused by Saber’s sudden change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*CRACK*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of a .50 BMG cartridge echoed through the night sky. Such a massive round was guaranteed death for a human; even a First-Class Magus would have trouble surviving if they had no Mystic Codes set up before hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saber interposed himself between his Master and the bullet, the projectile falling before his blade like so many before. While Arthur obviously wasn’t an Archer, his vision was keen enough to glance a subtle glare from far away. Perched on the rooftop was a man with a high powered rifle, aimed directly at the two of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, stay behind me!” yelled Saber, urgently advising his Master to stay in cover.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As powerful as the assassin’s bullets may be, without Mystery or Prana behind them, they were nothing before a Servant. Still, Arthur also couldn’t move from this spot as easily; he could easily clear the distance and take the gunman’s head with a single slice, but he would be exposing his Master. Further, if the man on the roof was a Master…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fiovra!!” yelled Rin, summoning a bolt of light to her hands and blasting a nearby figure. A man, possibly 8 feet tall, skin like obsidian, and wearing a skull faced mask. Assassin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin was a powerful Magus, her spell smashed into Assassin, tearing him asunder. However, Arthur felt the Assassin’s presence linger. Suddenly, several Assassins began to emerge from the shadows. Some of them make, some female. Some tall, others smaller. Some armed with crooked swords, others with daggers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur turned to face them, but was quickly felt his Instincts activate again!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*CRACK*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another sound of gunfire, but this time, Arthur extended his sword, catching a second bullet in midair, while the first stopped harmlessly in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a second gunman. They would keep Arthur pinned down while Assassin attacked his Master. While Arthur could easily cut down Assassin, doing so would leave his Master exposed, something the enemy Master would take advantage of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To have had this plan already in motion...the enemy Master must have already known that Rin was going to summon. Or at least suspected so...was the house’s collapse accidental?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saber grit his teeth, blocking several more bullets from the two snipers. At such a difficult angle, he simply couldn’t move to protect his Master further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Assassins closed in, feeling secure that the King of Knights wouldn’t interfere.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Saber…!” yelled Rin, clutching her Command Seals. If need be, she could use them to escape.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Command Seals could be used to give an undeniable order to a Servant; including allowing a Servant to normally do the impossible. However, they were limited in number and scope; Rin truly didn’t know whether a Command Seal would get her out of this situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur was grinding his teeth, angry at the enemy Master’s cowardly actions. Saber’s only long-range offensive option was to release his Noble Phantasm, and such power would decimate the townspeople living in the city.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Perhaps the situation was going to turn for the worst, perhaps the strongest Master/Servant pair would be eliminated before the first day ended?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BOOM*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An explosion, small, but powerful, appeared in front of the first sniper. Arthur took the opportunity, swinging his sword to intercept the second shooter’s bullet, and continuing his momentum, cutting down two more Assassins that had tried to kill Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur picked up Rin, scooping her up in his arms, and leapt away, careful to shield her from the second gunner. Several Assassins attempted to stab at his Master, but Arthur used his Prana Burst to blow them away, barreling past the Assassins.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Saber, there’s a church nearby, you should be able to see it soon, let’s go there” said Rin, still shaken by the assassination attempts,</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, understood” replied Saber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the Grand Holy Grail War, churches were designated neutral zones. Enemy Masters who had lost their Servant, or citizens who had seen too much could be dropped off safely at an affiliated church. Obviously, Rin didn’t intend on giving up so soon, but putting a neutral church between herself and the enemy snipers should give them pause.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few minutes, the two had arrived at a church, to be greeted by a woman with red hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin was incredulous, the woman was gorgeous!  With long red hair, and her sexy physique on full detail in a slinky, skintight outfit, she certainly got Rin’s attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, you two wanna step inside?” asked the woman. She clearly wasn’t associated with the church, but Rin didn’t see a reason to refuse. At the very least, the church should remain neutral.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master?” asked Saber, cautious about the mysterious woman. He didn’t sense hostility from her, but he had been wrong before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Let’s go inside, my plan was to hide out anyway until the sun came up” said Rin. She wasn’t exactly in a trusting mood at the moment, but it wouldn’t do well to stay outside, who knows when the snipers would find a new vantage point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Saber let Rin down, while both Rin and the red haired woman opened the church doors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The church was a simple, rustic building on the outside, and the inside was fairly simple, with wooden pews and stained glass adornments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only person inside was a nun, sweeping the floors, and alerted by the sound of the door opening. While at first surprised by Rin and the mysterious red-haired woman, her face turned taciturn upon seeing Saber. She recognized him as a Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good evening, Masters of the Grand Holy Grail War, how can I, Sister Ciel, assist you?” asked the nun, Ciel.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, told you there’d be a twist! No matter when, no matter where, nothing ever goes right for Rin when she summons a Servant.</p><p>And, for those who aren’t aware, yes, this is Ciel from Tsukihime. Well, her counterpart.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, another chapter, each one adding new mysteries to the plot. Sorry if it takes a while to write, work keeps me busy.</p><p>Still, please read, comment, and review. Every bit helps</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cold hands steadied the SVC rifle, loaded with .50 BMG, atop the roof of an old apartment complex in Bordeaux. The people were mostly older folks, no Magi amongst them, and certainly nobody with the ability to resist Magecraft. A simple sleeping suggestion would keep them from abandoning their domicile, whilst leaving them as useful hostages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man took a steady drag from his cigarette, feeling the ash and nicotine enter his lungs while his heart rate began to lower. Gazing through the high-optic scope, the man saw two individuals; a young girl, probably college aged, Japanese with unusual blue eyes, and a Caucasian man with golden hair, opulent armor, and a brilliant sword. Clearly, a Master and Servant pair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Switch to thermal for confirmation” whispered the man through his radio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Magi, especially after forming a contract with a Servant, would leak Prana into their surroundings, causing them to give off a higher temperature. Certainly nothing that would be unusual in most circumstances, except for the Magus Killer, who had devoted his life to killing other Magi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Subject is running at suspected temperatures; a Master” whispered the voice back in Russian.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Assassin is in place, just like how we planned,” said Kiritsugu Emiya, sending the message through his connection with his Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hassan of the Hundred Faces, one of the individuals to hold the title of The Old Man of the Mountain. This particular individual’s Noble Phantasm allowed them to split their body into a multitude of individuals, sharing a linked consciousness. This didn’t even demand extraordinary amounts of Prana, the normal cost for materializing more than one Servant at a time. However, with each additional ‘Face’, the strength between them divided further. A hundred Faces would collectively still only be as strong as one. Normally, the Assassins were weaker Servants, relying on stealth and deception to overcome stronger Servants. This suited Kiritsugu just fine, indeed, his own tactics were overwhelmingly similar to those used by a typical Assassin. The ‘weakness’ could be overcome in other ways…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu Emiya centered on the female Master in red, the center of the reticule a bit above her head. Accounting for drop, the round would pierce her head, instantly killing her. The girl seemed young, with a long and happy life ahead of her…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu squeezed the trigger, feeling the mechanism slide back, and another round enter the chamber while the hot brass ejected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without missing a beat, the blonde haired Saber interposed himself between the bullet and his Master. Kiritsugu knew that Servants wouldn’t be harmed by bullets, as beings above humanity, only weapons imbued with magical energy or Mystery could injure them. However, they didn’t need anything magical to injure the Master. Upon seeing the Servant protect his Master, the second sniper fired, this time more aggressively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two snipers would pin the Servant down, and then Emiya’s Servant, Assassin, would attack the Master. If Saber fought off Assassin, the snipers would kill Saber’s Master; if Saber kept where he was, Assassin would kill his Master.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A two pronged approach with no chance of failure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu’s plans never failed, as long as he could kill his emotions, there would be no low he wouldn’t sink to, no act too cruel. All for his wish; a wish only the Holy Grail could grant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*THWAT*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An arrow landed right underneath the barrel of Kiritsugu’s rifle. Seemingly innocuous, until…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BOOM*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The arrow exploded. Not with enough force to kill Kiritsugu from his position (the roof had absorbed most of the blast), but enough to blind him and ruin his rifle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu rolled on the ground, clutching the broken stock of his SVC. Clearly, there was another actor in play; his partner was 150 yards away, on another rooftop entirely. If this was a Servant, Kiritsugu would have to sacrifice Assassin to escape; he readied his Command Seals, eyes peeled for a hint of a Heroic Spirit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dunno what you’re planning, but I’d put your hands down if I were you” said a man’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu angled his head ever so slightly, enough to catch a glimpse of the man in his peripheral vision.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He appeared to be of younger age compared to Kiritsugu, though with a sly smile and holding a bow made of carbon fiber. Kiritsugu was temporarily lost for reasoning; he clearly wasn’t a Servant, but what madman would use a bow in the age of guns? Did he fancy himself a hero of old, thinking he could end human conflict with a stock of arrows?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time Accel!” said Kiritsugu, activating his Magecraft. The Emiya family Magecraft focused on manipulation of ‘time within the human body’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Using Time Accel, Kiritsugu could effectively speed up or slow down his bodily functions, effectively giving himself superior speed for a brief moment. He spun around the bowman, drawing a knife, originally meant for his rifle, and made to cut the bowman’s neck open.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The knife was stopped by the bow, collapsed to serve akin to an arming staff. The knife was a scant inch away from his neck, a microsecond late, and the bowman would’ve perished for certain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a fancy power you have there” said the bowman, before drawing an arrow from his quiver, which then opened up to expose an electrode.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu jumped back, recognizing the high voltage arrow head. As he did, he dropped his knife and pulled out a submachine gun. At this close distance, Kiritsugu and his SMG held the advantage over the bowman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bowman dived to his left, letting loose three arrows while dodging gunfire. He wasn’t perfect, however, feeling two bullets tear through his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Grrhh” muttered Kiritsugu, feeling an arrow dig into his leg. It was a bare miss; an inch off from his femoral artery.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were both injured, but both had their weapons trained on the other. If one made a move, the other would respond; with an arrow in his leg, Kiritsugu couldn’t use Time Accel, at least without risking further damage and potential bleed out. However, the bowman felt the two bullets deep in his side, knowing he’d need treatment or he would certainly bleed out. Kiritsugu couldn’t fall here, or else his wish would be gone, and all the deaths on his hands would be for nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*THWAMP*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sound of heavy boots landing on the rooftop jolted Kiritsugu and the bowman’s attention. This was Kiritsugu’s partner, assigned to him by Hydra.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is he a Master?” asked the Winter Soldier, eyes analyzing the bowman, rifle in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not a Magus” said Kiritsugu, acknowledging his partner, “What about the Master of Saber?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Saber took her and they took off in the direction of the church. One of Assassin’s faces is tailing them. What do we do with him?” replied the Winter Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kill him, he’s of no use to us,” replied Kiritsugu. With the Winter Soldier here, Kiritsugu could pursue the enemy Master.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, Steve told us a lot about you, didn’t know you were working with a guy like this” responded the bowman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier’s eye twitched, a minute difference, but one that the analytic Kiritsugu noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll see you guys later!” said the bowman, tossing a grenade to the duo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier grabbed the grenade, crushing it with his metallic arm, before it exploded in a flash of light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bowman was gone, leaving the two of them alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This wasn’t in the report…” muttered Kiritsugu, taking out another cigarette.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin Tohsaka was quite upset. As the heir to the Tohsaka family of Magi, she participated in the Grand Holy Grail War to win prestige for her family. She considered herself a prodigy, with a large amount of Magic Circuits, and an Average One affinity to all standard Elements. Combine that with summoning Saber, King Arthur, as her Servant; she was expecting a grand clash of power and finesse, fitting for the Tohsaka name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead, she had been shot at by two madmen with guns, attacked by an Assassin that could divide itself, then forced to flee from the weakest Servant, and now she took refuge inside the church with an unknown woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clearly, the first hour of her campaign hadn’t gone to plan at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Err, Sister Ciel, I am Rin Tohsaka, Master of Saber,” started Rin, showing her Command Seals as proof, while Saber bowed in acknowledgement, “Saber and I were attacked by two interlopers trying to interfere with the Holy Grail War”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interlopers?” asked Ciel, tilting her head in confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think she means the snipers shooting at her from the rooftop across the city” said the red-haired woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apologies, but you are…?” asked Ciel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Natasha Romanov, I’m here investigating a certain individual” said the red haired woman, Natasha.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Romanov...you’re one of the Avengers!” yelled Rin, in surprise at the woman’s identity, “There was the battle of New York, and then you and Captain America blew up those flying machines!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Avengers?” asked Saber curiously. The Grail filled in enough information for communication and to avoid culture shock for Servants, but this was not something the Grail provided.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re...well, they’re heroes” replied Natasha, removing herself from that label, “My partner and I were searching for someone, he was one of the snipers who attacked you”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know that guy!?” asked Rin, in outrage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’ve fought before,” said Natasha, pulling down her sleeve to reveal a scar in the shape of a bullet between her shoulder and neck, “This one is just the most recent”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This seemed to pacify Rin, empathizing with the older woman’s scars.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, I don’t believe her to be an enemy” said Saber, listening to the red haired woman, “Ms. Romanov, the man you’re pursuing, is he a Master in the Holy Grail War?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“James Buchanan Barnes…” whispered Ciel, joining the conversation. Her eyes seemed empty, as if gazing into a void not visible to everyone else; after a few seconds, her vision refocused, “You know him as the Winter Soldier, he has been chosen by the Grail”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Grail?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BASH*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The church doors flung open, with Clint Barton stumbling in, clutching his side as blood dripped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clint!” yelled Natasha, rushing to his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The other sniper...looks like it was Emiya after all” wheezed Clint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kiritsugu Emiya, Master of Assassin. Two Masters teamed up together, how interesting” said Ciel, gazing down upon the crowd gathered in her church.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll have to call Fury, you’re injured” said Natasha, pressing her hand against Clint’s injuries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin looked at the man, recognizing his bow and quiver. He had attacked Emiya and allowed her to escape with Saber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on…” said Rin, taking out a minor gemstone. Using the power held inside, she activated her Circuits to heal the man’s injuries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, that feels pretty good” said Clint, feeling the bullets push out and clatter against the hardwood floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for your assistance, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to save my Master” said Saber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mention it. The guy was a total dick” replied Clint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The law of Magi demands equivalent exchange, I’m only doing this because you assisted Saber and I” said Rin, though Saber, Natasha, and Clint could tell she wasn’t being honest, “Anyway, did you say Emiya? As in, Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know him as a contracted assassin, but yeah, most likely the same person” responded Natasha, “We believe he’s allied with Hydra”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two groups rendezvoused, sharing their information with each other. Rin felt ecstatic, getting to meet heroes in her own age; if Sakura was here, she’d-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait a minute, if Emiya had tracked down where and when she’d summon Saber then…did he know if Sakura was still at the hotel?!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, Sakura, my sister, is back at the hotel. She’s all by herself!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony was inspecting the charred remains of the bunker, Jarvis informing him of an anomaly underneath the rubble. Whatever was going on here would require a stiff drink or three for Tony to get some sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stark, any leads to the whereabouts of our ally?” asked Thor, perusing through the wreckage, “It is clear these Hydras have access to sorcery beyond your understanding, I’d normally request help from Loki but he’s...in prison at the moment”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“</b>
  <span>No, this isn’t magic, just some weird cult stuff, and Cap’s probably hiding somewhere here” replied Tony, flippantly going through the wreckage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tony, Thor is a god from a race of intergalactic aliens, if he says this is some magic stuff, we might want to take his word on this” said Bruce, hurriedly changing into loose fitting clothes to cover himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dark splotches marked his face and hands, telltale signs of intense bruising, but the healing was already underway, telltale marks of green skin visible on Bruce’s visage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Banner, we are scientists, alright, we don’t believe in magic tricks or sorcery like Shakespeare keeps insisting on,” said Tony, blasting a large piece of rubble out of the way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*crack*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the sudden shock, the floor beneath the three collapsed, revealing a hidden compartment beneath the Hydra facility. Tony activated his back mounted vernier, slowing his descent carefully, while Thor’s hammer-permitted flight allowed him to catch the falling Bruce and set him down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were saying, Stark” asked Thor, a slight tint of sarcasm in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room beneath them looked like, to Thor, something only seen in forbidden texts, the likes of which Asgard scoured long ago. A massive circle stood in the center of the room, circumscribing a symbol long forgotten to humanity. The acrid, metallic smell hinted at blood, confirmed by Bruce scanning the floors, which were positively caked with the substance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Banner...you seeing this?” asked Tony, nauseated at the sight. While the suit was hermetically sealed, so no smells could enter, the sight of the blood brought back less than pleasant memories for Tony, trapped in the caves of Afghanistan years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The smell is worse…” responded Bruce, “Okay, whatever Hydra had down here, they probably wanted to keep it a secret. So, let’s split up, see if we can find anything”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three went their separate ways, searching for any sign of activity, as well as the missing Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony went to a separate room, adjoined to the center chamber, and activated the flashlights, noting that the electricity had gone out here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck!” whispered Tony, gazing at the sight of dozens of dead bodies, “Jarvis, give me a SITREP, analyze faces, discoloration of the skin, time of death, GIVE ME SOMETHING!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sire, I’ve cross-referenced the faces from that of the missing persons database; at least a 95% confirmed match. In addition, my scans indicate that these people died from exsanguination”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony walked further into the macabre mausoleum, passing by corpses piled on top of tables, eyes face frozen in terror and agony from the last sight before death. In particular, one corpse was on a raised dais, with a large hole carved into his chest, and what appeared to be crude metal rebar sticking out of his torso.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about this one Jarvis?” asked Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can detect around 30 kilograms of foreign material in his body, particularly wrapped around the limbs, spine, and heart...Sire, shall I transmit this information to Thor?” asked Jarvis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Banner too. See if we can get Interpol here as well, they could probably do more than we can-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*-------*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony spun around, repulsors ready, aimed at seemingly nothing. He felt his heart, attached to the arc reactor, begin beating within his chest wildly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jarvis, run a scan for lifeforms; use satellite linkup to monitor any activity topside as well” said Tony, launching a small probe that flew across the room, before heading towards the center chamber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sire, the probe’s thermal imaging scan indicates that the only ones present are you, Thor, and Bruce Banner. Should I switch to different optics?” asked Jarvis.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony began walking towards the exit, planning to regroup with Banner and Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, probably just my paranoia, though have mini-Jarvis scan for Steve, he’s got to be here somewhere-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony hit a wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rather, the air right in front of the exit from the room of corpses seemed to solidify. As if the space here was sealed away from the outside world; leaving Tony trapped on this side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jarvis, switch optics, there’s somebody playing ghost around here” said Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-----”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no response, just faded static.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jarvis! Do you copy!?” asked Tony again, urgently this time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do apologize” came a voice that Tony did not recognize, “I am not much of a fighter, so I didn’t expect my chances of success to be particularly high against the three of you at once”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony turned around, and saw a man; he wore a long white coat on top of a striped black sweater, dark hair hung from his flawless face. With his thin build and long hair, Tony would mistake him for a woman...after a few drinks or so, but his voice was unmistakable as a man’s</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, you’re the one responsible for this?” asked Tony, aiming a repulsor at the mysterious man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm? I suppose so, indirectly at least,” said the man, eyes gazing to the scores of dead, “I had written a thesis, before my execution, as to how Prana could be stored using gemstones, and produced using living creatures. As the source of spiritual energy, these farms would be capable of realizing the dreams of several Magi unable to be born with Crests from a long lineage. If it makes you feel any better, I would have never approved of this”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really going to make me cry” said Tony sarcastically, “Nice story, but I’m taking you in!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony fired a repulsor blast from his palm, not one strong enough to kill, but certainly stun the individual in front of him. They hadn’t been able to capture any Hydra agents, who either fought to their literal deaths or killed themselves after loss; this man would give them plenty of information, though Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*SKING*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The repulsor blast was deflected towards the ceiling, by a dagger. It had a symmetrical construction, inlaid with a red gemstone in the hilt. It was long enough to be considered a short sword, and mysteriously appeared with a shower of light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the Grail certainly hadn’t provided this knowledge. I really do apologize for this, but I’ve been ordered to take your life” said the mysterious man, “I am Servant Caster”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a single, fluid motion, Caster brought down his dagger, unleashing a torrent of water, directed at Tony. Reflexively, he used the boot mounted thrusters to dodge to the side, barely missing a direct strike. The force of the wave was unreal, as if an anti-tank shell had gone off by his side; Tony retaliated with a barrage of repulsor fire, no longer intending to take Caster alive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Each and every blast was repelled by the dagger; despite appearing to be an ordinary blade made of metal, it was standing up to Iron Man’s repulsor blasts, which Tony had designed for combat against tanks. While not his strongest weapon, seeing a regular human knock them aside with a dagger was alarming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Caster pointed the dagger straight at Tony, and a javelin of lightning erupted out, far too fast for Tony to effectively dodge in the confined space.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mistake number 1!” said Tony, feeling the capacitors absorb the free electricity. He put both hands together to charge another repulsor blast, much stronger than the ones he was using before, and fired it at Caster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Caster’s eyes opened slightly, before using his free hand to bring out a stone. The stone morphed around his dagger, turning into a shield and absorbing Tony’s retaliating strike before disintegrating. Caster followed up with a strike to the ground, summoning a bellow of flames hot enough to burn metal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony released coolant, and then used the rear verniers to fly, planning to tackle Caster where he stood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two collided...but Caster did not budge. Despite Tony’s armor being capable of lifting a tank, the dark haired Magus wouldn’t move. He was forced to struggle, to be sure, but his limbs wouldn’t buckle against this amount of force.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their battle raged on, for every new trick Tony would bring out of his armor, Caster retaliated; for every spell cast by Caster, Tony had some way to escape death. At first, it appeared as if they were stalemated, until.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BEEP-BEEP*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Crap!” muttered Tony, “Not now…!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could feel power begin to slip away from the Iron Man armor. Part of the downside, he had discovered, from absorbing too much electricity at once, was damage to the internal batteries. The suit was simply never designed to intentionally draw so much power at once, and Tony felt the suit become weaker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would appear you have reached your limit” said Caster, arming another spell, “You should consider this a good death, to have stood against a Heroic Spirit in the Age of Man, you easily deserve the title of Hero. Unfortunately, my Master commands me to take your life, so I must comply”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony raised his hands, planning on abandoning the suit, and escaping if possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*CRUNCH*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The area of warped space, once as sturdy as steel, shattered. A spark of lightning and thunder filled the air, and a blonde-haired missile shot forth and brought down Mjolnir against Caster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hammer crackled with electricity and fury, truly a symbol of Thor; Caster immediately cast 5 spells at once, trying to keep back the God of Thunder. Without a single care, Thor swung Mjolnir, dispelling the Elementals and disabling Caster’s attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“RAGGGHGHHH!” came a primal roar. Hulk launched himself at the much smaller man, and punched him with unreal force, feeling the Servant’s bones break under his fist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey there Big Green, I was hoping you’d guys show up” said Tony, moving carefully to avoid shorting out his suit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Iron Man not arrive, so Thor and Hulk get concerned when voice say you disappeared,” said Hulk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I lost connection with your suit, Sire, I had the probe search for Thor and Banner, who had been attacked by automatons” said Jarvis, whose familiar electrical voice filled Tony’s helmet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jarvis, you are the greatest AI I have ever developed!” exclaimed Tony, happy that the AI had taken an action of its own initiative.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony didn’t think he could continue fighting, but it was clear that Thor and Hulk together could easily handle Caster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Truly, you Avengers are heroes of the modern age, I consider it an honor to fight against you” said Caster, picking himself up. He was bloodied and bruised, but seemed unconcerned with his injuries, “I shall be taking my retreat for now, I hope that you survive until our next encounter”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor and Hulk both launched themselves at Caster, just to meet nothing but air as his figure suddenly vanished.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where does small man go!? Hulk SMASH!!” roared Hulk, enraged at his prey escaping him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Calm down Hulk, we haven’t seen the last of him,” said Thor, dropping his lightning and gazing towards Tony, “Stark, are you injured? Shall I call the healer?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been in worse condition” said Tony, removing the helmet and armor as he felt the capacitors begin to lose too much charge, “So...I might have been wrong about Hydra using Nazi magic. Thor, could you inform us what that guy was?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio walked back to the circular chamber, Hulk already beginning to revert back to Banner, while Thor informed him and Tony of his findings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most of this...horror I was not familiar with, but I did recognize this,” said Thor, holding up a shard of metal. Even without Jarvis’s analysis, Tony could observe that the metal was unlike anything he’d laid his eyes on; it seemed most similar to Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Most of the- PAPERS- files, had been -BURNED- redacted, but I did find something on -PUNY MEN- what Hydra was doing here” said Banner, voice intersped with outbursts from Hulk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave Tony a printout detailing operations in this Hydra facility; the shard of foreign metal had been found in one of Hydra’s Scandinavian bases, and had been transported here, where Baron Zemo was directing efforts to...summoning?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“These Hydras were using sorcery to summon Einherjars, Servants as they’re called on Midgard, for some nefarious purposes. We just did battle with the one that ambushed you” said Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that guy, Caster -SMASH- was an Einherjar, err, a Servant?” asked Banner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, he was not made of flesh and blood, but of magic and witchcraft. A spirit of heroism summoned into this age to do battle; under the name, Caster, quite fitting” said Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, that Caster guy, think he was summoned using this?” asked Tony, pointing to the massive circle in the central chamber.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...No, I don’t believe so. When I saw this,” said Thor, holding up the fragment of metal, “I sensed a kinship with it, as if it was part of something I had seen before. I didn’t sense the same thing when confronting Caster, so this circle wasn’t used to summon him”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you telling me there’s two of these guys running around?! -LET THEM-” asked Banner incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and probably more. The last time Asgard witnessed Einherjars summoned like this before, it brought calamity upon Midgard; there were 16 in total at that time…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sixteen?! How-what do you mean sixteen! My suit almost got fried by one of them, how are we supposed to fight sixteen of them?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“These aren’t good odds, Thor…” muttered Banner, fully returned to being Bruce rather than the Hulk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should prioritize on strengthening our forces; it may be possible for us to summon Einherjar of our own” said Thor, “I suspect that Steve may have ruined these Hydras machinations”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Zemo was planning to summon a Servant here, but they’re gone, another Servant attacked us, and Steve is nowhere to be found…” said Bruce, putting their known facts together, “You think Steve summoned the Servant?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, the Einherjar cannot exist on their own, and need a human to command them. A hero from my banner would never accept the call of these Hydras...but they would if Steve was present” said Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, we look for Cap then” said Tony, concluding their discussion while sending instructions to the Quinnjet, “Makes sense, but where do we start looking?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have an idea of where to start” came another voice. The voice was stern and authoritative, but not hostile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio of Avengers turned around, ready to confront another enemy. Instead, there were two men. The first man was tall and wore a long red cape with a blue sorcerer’s robe, his brown hair was tinged with flecks of gray, he also had long scars on his hands. The second man was of slightly shorter height, and had golden blonde hair, piercing red eyes, and wore golden greaves, a golden armored half coat, with a red mast, and owned two swords that hung behind his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am Dr. Strange, and this is my Servant, Archer”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, these are the heroes of the modern age…” said Archer, appraising each one with his slatted red eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” asked Tony, feeling unprotected outside of his armor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------------------</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>There was a woman, with long white hair, and a spear that must have been a work of art as treacherous as it was beautiful. She did not recall her birth or childhood, just stories of a calamity from the stars, and her sisters which served the Allfather.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As the Firstborn of the Valkyries, she rode into battle, taking the souls of noble warriors to Valhalla, where they saw eternal glory. On the Allfather’s words, she would ride into battle against Giants that would cruelly devour the world of man, and repel them. A master of the spear and Runes passed down from the Allfather himself, the woman was a shining paragon to all who met her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Then, she spoke out of turn.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Allfather had demanded that the woman not help a hero, a noble soul that the woman believed should be victorious in his next battle. She could not understand, as a Valkyrie, she was sworn to assist the noble souls against the wickedness of the world. How could she stand by and let the noble soul die when she could act against it?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She defied the Allfather, and granted her blessing to that noble soul. She was the oathbreaker, the one who spit against their traditions, and ruined hundreds of years worth of work, but she had no regret.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“*******,I cannot allow this transgression to pass unpunished…” said the Allfather, eyes steeled but voice pained.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The woman felt darkness encroach her vision, uncertain of what fate might have in store for her. Would she ever awaken?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve opened his eyes, noting how blurred his vision was. He had been asleep for some time, judging by the amount of ashes in the fire Lancer had provided for him. He sat up, pleased at the lack of pain, and called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer…” whispered Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman in the center opened her eyes as well, awakening, for lack of a better word. Steve felt the invisible connection between them enlarge, but it was no longer debilitating. He could feel his body, mostly recovered thanks to his own healing factor and Lancer’s spells.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, have you recovered?” asked Lancer, voice monotone but with a slight twist of curiosity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you helped me out a lot” said Steve, “Let’s move out, I need to regroup with the others”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand, however the enemy is still present, if in lower numbers”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll stay quiet for now, try to sneak around them until we can make it back to civilization” said Steve, looking for his shield, “Have you seen my shield?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was observing it,” said Lancer, raising it from behind her figure, “It seemed familiar to me, for some reason. When I hold it, I- no, disregard that Master. Here you go”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer passed the shield back to Steve. Steve recalled the dream he had; the woman in the dream was practically identical to Lancer, though the details remained scant. He felt the urge to ask Lancer who she was, why she seemed reluctant to talk about herself, and why he heard her voice back then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, it would have to wait. If Hydra was summoning Servants to obtain the Grail, there’s no telling how much devastation they could wreak; the helicarrier incident would be a picnic in comparison. Furthermore...Steve wanted to believe that the Grail’s wish could restore Bucky. Steve needed to regroup with the rest of the Avengers and inform them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer summoned her spear, dispelling the rune barrier that she had erected around their impromptu camp. The robed figures were less, but she believed them to be puppets of another Servant, one lurking somewhere in the woods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s move out” said Steve, feeling the snow crumble beneath his boots as Lancer followed behind him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for taking a while. Work was getting crazy. Thanks for so much feedback, and I’ll try to update sooner!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier was riding on the motorcycle left in the garage, heading in the direction where the enemy Master had retreated towards. Scant fragments of memories began to erupt in his mind; the man with the shield, Captain America, their last meeting aboard Hydra’s helicarriers, and his words</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“YOU! ARE! MY MISSION!!!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Then finish it...because I’m with you ‘til the end of the line…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>------------</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier clutched his head, trying to suppress the pain that the memory brought. Captain America was an enemy of Hydra; from World War II to the modern day, he had brought devastation to the beautiful world that Hydra sought to create. They would fight again, to be certain, and the Winter Soldier wouldn’t hesitate again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, are you pursuing the enemy Master and Saber?” asked a stern, but calm voice, “I hope we get to fight Saber this time, rather than rely on that cowardly Emiya”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier didn’t say anything, but his thoughts couldn’t help but link to his Servant</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Avengers have made contact with Saber and his Master, if we don’t kill them now, it will be too late” thought the Winter Soldier. Romanov and Hawkeye were here, but they could be handled easily; Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor would be too much for him, alone at least, and Captain America…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Captain America...Steve Rogers...he’s the one I will eliminate” said the Winter Soldier, throttling the motorcycle to accelerate to its limits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What is this nonsense!? First, we lose SHIELD, now, the Holy Grail sees fit to give the status of Master to this lowly grunt?!” said a man with a familiar face, Helmhut Zemo, son of Baron Heinrich Zemo, who had inherited all of his father’s talent and more.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing can be done about it, unfortunately, the Grail has made its choice. You may try to convince our precious Winter Soldier to part with his Command Seals, however…” said a woman with long pink hair and bright golden eyes, giving a cold, sadistic smile.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Zemo walked over to where the Winter Soldier was recovering from his previous engagement, and gripped the Soldier’s right arm, where 3 glowing, red Command Seals were inscribed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You have embarrassed us, Winter Soldier. First, you save the life of that swine, Captain America, then have the gall to show your face here, like nothing happened, and with those Command Seals that rightfully belong to me! You have the chance to save face; surrender them and I may convince Von Strucker to-” Zemo ranted at the Soldier, eyes practically glowing with hatred and resentment, before the Soldier’s left, metallic arm gripped around his throat like a vise.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh my, careful Winter Soldier, any more force and he’ll certainly die” said the young woman, eyes practically glittering with glee at the sight.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Winter Soldier, stand down. He’s still an asset to us, Master or not” said the voice of another man in the room, who had been quietly smoking a cigarette until now, Kiritsugu Emiya.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“...Fine” said the Winter Soldier, relinquishing his grip and laying back down as Zemo backed away, coughing and sputtering while clutching his bruised trachea.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Such a spoilsport...well, in any case, are you ready to perform the Summoning, Winter Soldier?” asked the pink haired woman again, eyes locking with the Soldier’s.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Winter Soldier regarded her with nothing more than distrust; the vixen had appeared a year ago, claiming to have been sent by the missing Red Skull. She called herself the arbiter of the Grand Holy Grail War, the Ruler, and had chosen to align herself with Hydra and their dreams, calling them the epitome of humanity. While her skills and prowess had been nothing but exceptional, the Winter Soldier could not trust her; much like himself, she would have no place in the world Hydra wished to create.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes” replied the Soldier. His handler was dead, and his official superior was now Von Strucker, who had instructed everyone in base to regard Koyanskaya as if she spoke for him personally. At the very least, there was nothing suspicious about Summoning a powerful new tool for Hydra.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wonderful, let us start now…” said Koyanskaya, walking over to the Winter Soldier’s bedside. She put her palm on the back of his right hand, over his Command Seals, and hunched over, suspiciously so the Winter Soldier could glance at her large breasts and flawless skin.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hurry it up” muttered the Soldier, not desiring any part of the vixen’s charms.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Shame, I was curious if you would fall for it” said Koyanskaya, feigning a face of hurt feelings, “In any case, I’ll begin”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A blue light surrounded the meeting room, while voices of the ancient past muttered. There was a flash of light, and right next to the Winter Soldier was a Servant.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Servant Archer, summoned” said Archer, opening his eyes and scanning his surroundings.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ooh, you summoned a strong one” said Koyanskaya, lifting herself off the Soldier and gazing at the handsome man summoned.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Archer stood tall, with dark skin and black hair; his face was handsomely built, as if he came from an ancient mural depicting a warrior prince. He wore white clothes with embroidered lilac flowers, and his bow, asleep in non-aggression, radiated unreal power.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I am your Master,” said the Winter Soldier, lifting his right hand to show the Command Seals, “What is your True Name?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Arjuna, the mightiest of the Pandavas” said Arjuna, glancing at the rest of what he could only assume were allies.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Arjuna...the Son of Indra, and greatest archer in the Mahabharata” said Emiya, running this new variable through his mind, “I am the Master of Assassin, I will be allying with your Master and the Master of Caster. We’re expecting the Master of Saber to join us soon”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes, the Grail has informed me of the circumstances,” said Arjuna, pondering his allies. Certainly, war is never fought alone; Arjuna himself fought alongside Lord Krishna several times. Still, the choice in one’s allies was always a fundamental component, and both Arjuna’s Master and his choice of company didn’t leave a good first impression. Perhaps Saber would prove a more compatible sort?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Archer...Arjuna...what is your wish for the Grail?” asked Winter Soldier, standing up in spite of his injuries so he could properly speak with his Servant. Despite the pain, compounded with the Servant draining his energy to take a physical form, the Soldier felt compelled to ask his Servant this.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Emiya, despite his mercenary attitude, turned his head slightly, closing his eyes to focus on hearing while trying to remain unattached.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“My wish for the Grail? It would be…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier had arrived at the church. He had studied the map extensively before the operation began, and knowing of the direction Romanov and her associates had traveled, along with the nature of the Church as an impartial mediator, led him to this conclusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m approaching the target with Archer, get ready to back me up if they try to make another escape,” said the Soldier to Emiya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Negative, I’m going to a separate location. I’ll leave behind Assassin...don’t let them get under your skin this time” replied Emiya; whether he was offering a word of advice or a warning was unknown, perhaps both.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever the case, the Soldier materialized Arjuna, bow deployed with a mighty roar and arrows stocked, and made his way towards the church.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin burst out of the church, Reinforcing her limbs to enhance her speed and strength. As soon as she opened the doors, however, she felt the air of a bullet whiz behind her. It was calculated to her position; however the shooter had forgotten to compensate for her increased speed, or had simply not known about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning to her right, where the sound of the bullet came from, she saw two men. The first wore black tactical gear, and possessed a metallic left arm holstering a gun. The second man wore white clothes and held a bow, an Archer-Class Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two more bullet barrages went off, this time directed towards the Winter Soldier, who shielded himself with his metallic arm, before his gaze turned towards Natasha and Clint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine Rin, leave him to us, you go pick up your sister, okay?” said Clint, holstering his bow again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, I can fight Archer with our allies, while you rescue Sakura,” suggested Saber, sword at the ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin was alarmed at the three’s selflessness. Even she could tell the man with the metal arm was dangerous, as was his Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I’ll pick up Sakura, then I swear I’ll be back so...you better not get yourselves killed!” said Rin, trying her best to hold onto her pride.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three grinned as they heard Rin take off, running into the night to find Sakura. Clint and Natasha faced the Winter Soldier, while Saber sized up Archer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Saber and Archer, the first Servant clash in this Grand Holy Grail War” said Sister Ciel, “Ms. Romanov, Mr. Barton, as this is now an official conflict in the Grand Holy Grail War, you understand I cannot interfere. If you retreat into the church and surrender yourselves, I will guarantee your safety, but otherwise…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We know” said Natasha, readying another gadget Tony had designed for her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We couldn’t call ourselves heroes if we backed out here” said Clint, subtly checking out the enemy’s bow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m honored to fight alongside the heroes of the modern day,” said Saber, before turning to Archer with a grin, “Steel yourself, Archer!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ready yourself, Saber!” responded Archer, who fired an arrow to start the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BLAST*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The missile could scarcely be described as an arrow; it was far too powerful, almost akin to a shard of lightning itself, tearing forth with power unknown to man. It seemed as if Saber would be utterly annihilated, reduced to atomic dust in the wind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*SCHWING*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His sword began to glow a brilliant golden, as if reflecting light from the sun itself, and met the arrow head on, dissipating its power with his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two traded blows, each causing destruction in their wake. A missed arrow could easily evaporate a city block, dodged sword swing would level a grove of trees without issue. The power these Servants wielded was beyond comparison, with only Thor showing such similar feats of power in Clint and Natasha’s minds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ciel had constructed a Bounded Field to contain the violence, not desiring for any innocents to be drawn into the carnage. As long as the shard of the Grail resting beneath her church held out, attacks originating from within the barrier from a Servant would not escape, and anyone who passed by would simply find nothing. It was as if the battle were cut off from the rest of the world, and only the victors would be permitted to return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natasha and Clint fought the Winter Soldier, remembering their sparring experiences with Steve. The Winter Soldier was faster, stronger, and more brutal than either of them could possibly be. His metallic arm was a sledgehammer that would shatter any defense they could put up, and his keen eyes would analyze and pounce upon any opening they made.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clint fired a volley of arrows, but the Soldier’s speed and defenses were unreal, dodging and blocking whatever he could. Natasha engaged the Soldier in CQC, hoping to prevent him from using his rifle. With Clint’s assistance, she got to his back, and used an electrified stinger to attempt to paralyze the Soldier’s metallic arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The arm, however, simply began to glow and the stinger fell off harmlessly. The Soldier didn’t say a word, but his eyes seemed to narrow a bit, memories of the red-haired woman’s attacks coming to the fore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so he’s had some upgrades since last time,” muttered Natasha, firing more stingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess this means we go to plan C then?” asked Clint, his internal stock of regular arrows beginning to run low. He’d have to switch to his special arrows soon…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought we were already on plan C?” said Natasha, landing a few punches on the Soldier, but not even making him stagger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fighting continued, each side drawing blood and fighting like creatures of war. From the shadows, the Faces of Assassin watched, gazing at their prey like a hawk. They knew they had no chance of taking down Saber, his Instincts would detect them and cut them down in an instant. However, the two humans fighting the Master of Archer were a different story. The Faces took out their weapons, and began getting into position before being stopped; a Black Key had been flung and caught one of the Faces on their shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Church? Interfering with a Grail War?” asked one of the Faces in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ciel had her Black Keys extended, her Circuits blared open for the Assassin to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t misunderstand Assassin, your Master was the first to break the rules by using his perch as hostages. I’m just balancing the scales!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The battle raged onwards as the night wore on, victor uncertain…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve and Lancer trudged through the snow, neither making much of a noise, before hiding behind some trees as another hooded figure walked past. Truthfully, Lancer could incinerate them by the dozens with her power, but that would draw too much attention; they were caught in a trap by an enemy Servant, and acting rash would be their undoing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve couldn’t help but recall memories of Bucky, himself, and the rest of the Howling Commandos marching through the mud and snow in Germany. Now he was in the 21st century, with a warrior woman from the past.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two noticed the shadowy figures begin to thin, as if the two were going away from their source. The ones that did appear seemed slower, and less reactive to noises. The two took this as a sign of progress, before Steve could hear sounds of cars, the smell of petrol, and the sight of electrical lamps.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, this is…” muttered Brynhildr, unsure as to how to explain the unease in her mind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Servants, being heroes from the distant past, are provided information by the Grail on the era they’re summoned in. They can speak major languages, are updated on modern social faux pas, and even know aspects of modern day life such as technology and societal developments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which made it stranger for why Brynhildr couldn’t recognize this town. She understood vehicles, horseless chariots made of metal, but these were nothing like the Grail provided context for, being much larger, heavier, and belching black smoke. The town itself appeared sleepier, more quaint, with several aspects that look as if it had been from a photo from the 1940s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To Steve Rogers, to Captain America, this was a familiar sight. Indeed, it almost felt like he was home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer, are you seeing this?” asked Steve, “Just want to make sure…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. This is a town, but not a city of the modern age” replied Brynhildr.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*SCREEE*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sharp whistling sound came from the air, a sound Steve was all too familiar with, having become accustomed to camps being blasted to oblivion right after that sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the sky were Ju 87s, a wing of German warplanes, arranged in a box to drop their bombs onto the city below. The sound of civilians scattering below emanated from the town; some ran in panic to find loved ones and shelter, some were curled into themselves, having no hope of surviving another raid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer!” yelled Steve, no longer caring about stealth, “Can you intercept their payload before the bombs get too close?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had known Lancer was amazing, phenomenal, really, but he also knew she wasn’t using the full extent of her strength. The invisible connection between them spoke to that. Further, if the bombs went off too close to the ground, the yield would be increased. So, Lancer would have to destroy the bombs while still high in the air...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Master!” replied Lancer, magnificent blue fire surrounding her torso and hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer disappeared, replaced by a steak of brilliant blue fire; Steve’s eyes could scarcely catch a glimpse of her soaring into the night sky. It wasn’t quite flight, but rather, she was using the fire surrounding her body to leap into the air at massive elevation, then slow her descent and provide leverage to swing her spear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The spear cleaved through the metal explosives as if they were made of water. They could offer no resistance, and exploded high above the ground, where the force disappeared before it could touch the town below. Still, mighty as she was, Lancer couldn’t be in two places at once, and there were simply too many bombs for her to stop by herself…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Officers!” yelled Steve at two panicking constables, “Get the civilians to safety! Do you have an air raid shelter?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-no, we don’t!” replied a constable, surprised at the sight of Captain America.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about the bar, is there a cellar underground?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! And there’s a large cavern beneath the prison” said the second constable, recognizing the train of thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, mobilize everyone else and escort half to the local pub, and the other half to the jail. Make sure to prioritize women and children, get the men to assist in moving people in case the houses give out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The constable sprung to action, relaying Steve’s orders through radio and organizing to evacuate the people. Steve looked up to see Lancer dancing in the sky, cutting down bombs left and right like a dancer with no fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>True to fears, however, she couldn’t stop all of them; a large bomb landed on the clock tower, exploding with tremendous force and sending large rubble in all directions. Steve ran over, shield in hand, and threw it at a large piece of rubble, which was about to fall on top of a young couple, and sliced it in half vertically, each half falling away from the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Th-thank you” said the man, trying to regain his bearings.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get to the bar, go underground, and wait until you guys can’t hear the bombs!” said Steve, pointing them in the direction of a deputy escorting people to safety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt heavier, as if he were sprinting with a lead suit on. The invisible connection between Lancer and him felt wider, and Steve could sense his energy draining much faster than he was used to. It wasn’t debilitating, but he knew he couldn’t let Lancer fight like this permanently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the night dragged on, more bombs escaped Lancer’s spear, and more destruction rained. Still, most of the civilians were safely sheltered, and whichever bombs Lancer could not cut down, were stopped by Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer occasionally caught her Master in her gaze; his splendid form, protecting others in danger; his noble spirit, comforting an innocent child and taking her to safety; the unstoppable drive, one of the bombs had gone off near him, launching him through a wall, yet he stood up and continued to fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, though his flesh and form may have changed, Brynhildr still recognized his soul and passion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sigurd…” whispered Lancer, before swinging her spear again, which was suddenly larger and heavier…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While the two heroes fought to protect the town, a figure watched them from the shadows, amused at the turn of events.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my...this changes things quite a bit” said a man, his face being a hostile visage of crimson, the Red Skull.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, should we engage?” asked a voice, a spirit by the side of Red Skull, a silky voice hiding barely restrained anger and hatred</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not yet Avenger...let’s observe this further” responded Red Skull, taking out a cigar and lighting the end, “Captain America should be given the opportunity to appreciate his lost time…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>———————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony locked eyes with the golden haired man, brown orbs meeting red slits as the two sized each other up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” asked Tony, trademark sarcasm still evident in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmph” replied the golden Archer, closing his eyes in wry amusement, “My Master informed me that heroes continued to exist in the modern age. I wished to see these ‘Avengers’ with my own eyes”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhh, hi. I’m Bruce Banner, this is Tony Stark, and Thor is over-“ starter Bruce, before he felt his voice lose itself as the golden Archer’s eyes turned towards him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hulk, the Odinson, and Iron Man” said the golden Archer, “I am Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and the greatest of all heroes. I challenge you, heroes of the modern age, against me, the first amongst braves!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The golden Archer’s, Gilgamesh’s, declaration reverberated across the room. Normally, such a statement would be considered insanity; three heroes, each considered powerful in their own right, versus one. However, Gilgamesh’s eyes did not betray any haughty overconfidence nor did they seem like the eyes of a madman. He genuinely believed it would take all three Avengers to fight him on equal grounds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, Goldie, I don’t know which prehistoric Fight Club you came from, but your boss just mentioned he knows where Cap is, so go take a hike, and let the big boys talk” responded Tony, wanting to deflate Gilgamesh’s ego.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gilgamesh simply smiled, having read Tony like a book.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your father, even now you envy and detest him, yet also desire his respect and affirmation. You’re haunted by your failings, not in your intelligence, but by your ego. Even now” said Gilgamesh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bruce felt the atmosphere become tense; Gilgamesh had essentially pressed all of Tony’s buttons, wishing to see how the man would react.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony walked up to Gilgamesh. He knew of the Servant’s power, having just fought Caster a short time ago; the suit was too damaged to use right now, but that didn’t matter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tony, let it go. Finding Steve is our priority for right now” said Bruce, trying to reason with Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, Goldie. Before this is over, we’re going to have a one on one” said Tony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hahaha!! I look forward to it, Iron Man!” said Gilgamesh, with a hearty laugh, “Build up your chariot, I wish to see, with my own eyes, how far humanity has progressed since my time”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange walked up, reminding the 3 of his words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorcerer, you mentioned you could help us locate our ally” said Thor, trying to steer the conversation back on topic, “Are your words true? You are in possession of an Einherjar, after all. You could be in league with the magician who attacked Stark”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor was correct; in a Grand Holy Grail War, alliances and betrayals were practically omnipresent. The 3 had no proof that Dr. Strange was telling the truth, especially since he would have an interest in removing obstacles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, here” said Strange, lifting his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Large, ropy, ugly scars stretch across his palms, wrists, knuckles, everywhere really. However, something wasn’t present.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Every Master chosen by the Holy Grail is given 3 Command Seals. They mark the Mage as a Master, and permit them to summon a Servant, what you call an Einherjar. I don’t have any Command Seals on me, so I’m not a Master”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait a minute, what about this guy?” asked Bruce, pointing to Gilgamesh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gilgamesh laughed again, as if he was privy to a joke that nobody else understood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You misunderstand, Hulk. The man who summoned me wasn’t Strange, but someone else. He ordered me to assist Strange as if he were my Master, however”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor pondered this, head tilting while recalling information from long ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then, your true Master, where is he? He can’t be that far away. I have read that the connection between the Einherjar and their summoners can only stretch so far!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am of the Archer Class, I can subsist without my Master for plenty of time” said Gil, arrogantly dismissing the major weakness of every Servant without any worry, “I don’t know where he is, but I suspect he has his own reasons to assist you. As long as I am able to challenge heroes and prove my superiority, I do not mind”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gilgamesh was straightforward; as the King of Heroes, he saw no need to create elaborate conspiracies. As the greatest of heroes, he only sought an opportunity to prove that title against others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony’s eyes were closed, his brain processing all the information they had taken in today. He wasn’t sure if he could trust Strange or Gilgamesh, but he couldn’t see an angle where they could benefit from deceiving them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, we’ll take up your offer” said Tony, “So, you can tell us where Cap is”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange opened his hand, a blue orb made of light sprung to hand, with green green patches appearing. It resembled a globe, with continents and oceans on display. A yellow light appeared, right at the equivalent of England.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s here” said Strange, “But, there’s something else”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s England. Not too far away, especially on the Quinnjet” said Bruce.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s not on our Earth…” said Strange, “He’s on an Earth from another time”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony felt like a blood vessel was going to burst. Yet another wonderful piece of news…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for taking so long! Work has been a killer &gt;(</p><p>Here you go! Read and review, please. I appreciate any bit you guys can give :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Rin’s long, raven hair fluttered in the wind; she could imagine her father scolding her for using magecraft so brazenly. It wasn’t anything complicated, a simple array of Strengthening on her limbs to accelerate her speed far beyond what humans were capable of. She was running across the roof of a major hospital, and was rapidly approaching the edge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Springen!!” yelled Rin, letting Prana surge through her legs as she soared through the air, “Remember the landing…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin easily cleared 50 meters with that leap, releasing a shockwave as she landed on the street. Her legs were aching in pain, a side effect of using Strengthening magecraft for too long, and too hard. It would take at least five minutes for Rin to regain feeling in her legs, but she pressed onwards. She was only two blocks away from the hotel, where Sakura was probably asleep. Emiya, the Magus-Killer, was on her tail, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, she reached it, the hotel was in sight, and the front door looked inviting. Rin remembered the room number, 304, and reached into her skirt pocket for the key card. A glint from the corner of her eye alerted her to danger; Rin remembered this feeling, akin to a mouse knowing it’s about to be snatched up by a hawk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*BANG*</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A loud gunshot rang out through the air; guns were rare in England, only the military and police were permitted to keep one in the city. Further, this particular sound was different from what Rin had heard last time...it was....</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Schild!!” said Rin, using a minor gemstone to create a powerful barrier to intercept Emiya’s bullet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The round struck square into the glowing blue shield, before beginning to break down. Immediately, Rin could feel something was wrong; it was as if a foregin body was trying to break into her Circuits. The sensation was that of a foreign Origin…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Origin Bullet” said Kiritsugu Emiya, Thompson Contender in hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was the Mystic Code of the Magus Killer; bullets made from his own powdered ribs, used as the subject of a powerful ritual, and imbued with his Origins of ‘cutting’ and ‘binding’. A successful strike against a magecraft-using opponent would forcefully impart his Origins, tearing apart and suturing their Magic Circuits, making them unable to use Magecraft ever again. It was a formidable Mystic Code, and was guaranteed to strike true if the target used Magecraft, and against high powered rifle rounds, most Magi would only ever rely on their Magecraft for protection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin’s shield faltered, and disappeared. She fell to the floor, trembling in pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu walked forward, putting away the Contender and equipping his submachine gun. Without her Magecraft, Rin was an ordinary girl, and would die to a bullet the same as many had.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu Emiya was not a powerful Magus; the teenage girl in front of him was already several times stronger than him, and she’d become even more powerful in time. However, Emiya specialized in killing Magi, through whatever means necessary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin shakily took out another gemstone, her hands practically quivering like gelatin, and a pained expression on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Useless…” said Kiritsugu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speer!” yelled Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu was about to press the trigger, having seen several Magi deny the possibility that their magecraft could be gone. This was different.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A blast of blue light erupted from the ground, aimed right at Kiritsugu. At this distance, no human could dodge…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time Accel...Quadruple!” said Kiritsugu, desperation barely leaking from his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time Accel permitted Kiritsugu to control the inner time of his body; he could increase it to permit speed even greater than Rin’s, for short periods of time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He weaved away from the blast of blue light, launching himself a meter away from Rin blindingly quickly. Rin stood up, her movements stabilized, and her eyes burning; she wasn’t dead yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was impossible; for over 20 years, every target of the Origin Bullets had their Circuits crippled, what made this girl different? That thought was the only thing on Kiritsugu’s mind as he locked eyes with Rin. His eyes then travelled towards her hand, noticing her Command Seals. Masters were given three Command Seals, and one was just beginning to fade from the back of Rin’s hand. Yes, she had redirected the damage the Origin Bullet would have caused to the Command Seals; akin to a lizard sacrificing a limb to escape a predator.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin broke eye contact first, withdrawing into the hotel to find Sakura. Kiritsugu motioned to chase, but he felt his knees buckle as an ungodly pain built up in his chest…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gahhhhh!” yelled Emiya in agony, clutching his chest as the pain assaulted every nerve ending.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was dangerous to use regular Time Accel, and Kiritsugu had used it at quadruple speed. It was a very real danger that his heart could give out; at the very least, Kiritsugu was certain he had given himself permanent damage. Still, it was better than being obliterated by Rin’s spell. Kiritsugu took out his radio, and sent two messages…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Winter Soldier, the enemy Master escaped...Shirou...I need a pickup…” Kiritsugu collapsed to the ground, his strength utterly spent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hundred Faces immediately felt a disturbance; the connection to their Master seemed to become small, dangerously so. It hadn’t disappeared, that they were certain of, but he was in danger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Getting distracted?!” asked Sister Ciel, Black Keys in hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” the Faces didn’t respond, but Ciel could sense their discomfort behind their bone masks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without a word, they all disappeared, choosing to retreat and protect their Master rather than fight the mysterious nun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoo, I’m beat!” said Ciel, as the blades of her Black Keys disappeared, “I’m going to make some curry now”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, inside the barrier, the battle raged onwards. Saber and Archer were unleashing more power, as the street was reduced to slag in the wake of their attacks. Arjuna betrayed no hint of worry or distress on his face, but his heart was a different story.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur, the King of Knights danced with his blade, parrying and blocking Arjuna’s arrows as if he were the wind itself. The majestic aura, the casual ease in which he displayed his heroic prowess...it was so…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Disgusting. Unsightly. Horrid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arjuna despised Arthur, seeing the man who had so easily rose and became a hero to his people; the perfect model of chivalry and knighthood. This man, while different in personality, was too similar to someone else Arjuna knew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arjuna felt his mind slip; as he let ‘Krishna’ seep into his mind, poisonous thoughts began to bubble in his mind. Shoot at the humans fighting his Master, Arthur would surely protect them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arjuna banished those thoughts immediately; shame building up as he tried to reject ‘Krishna’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur noticed Arjuna’s arrows become sloppier, as the stone-faced man became more desperate to strike down Arthur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clint and Natasha were still fighting the Winter Soldier. Clint had completely emptied his quiver and was using his bow as a melee weapon to fight, suffering several nasty bruises and a fractured rib for his trouble. Natasha was in better shape, but it was clear they were both struggling against the Winter Soldier, who, save for a few cuts and bruises, which were already beginning to heal, was unharmed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a sense, the fight was balanced: Arthur was beginning to take an advantage against Arjuna, but Clint and Natasha were losing against the Winter Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Winter Soldier, however, believed differently. His keen eyes told him that Arjuna was weakening; natural, considering a bowman was engaging a swordsman at close range. The fact that Arjuna could keep up with the King of Knights at this range was a testament to his amazing skill. Even if the Winter Soldier could kill the two Avengers, he knew Arjuna wasn’t going to last. If Arjuna fell, Arthur would be free to subdue the Soldier, and he had no way to injure a Servant…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, without warning, the barrier surrounding the combatants faltered, before disappearing completely. Arjuna immediately grabbed his Master and retreated, no longer hampered by the barrier. Arthur positioned to protect Clint and Natasha, understanding that the battle had changed, and he no longer had the advantage. There was a new figure, standing at the far edge of where the barrier used to be. Clint and Natasha’s eyes widened as they saw the familiar figure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki Laufeyson stood, pride apparent in his posture and smile. His hair was disheveled and messy, his ornate armor was dull and cracked in certain spots, and his helmet had a broken horn. Still, he was Loki; Clint in particular wouldn’t ever forget the cruel God’s machinations. He was unarmed, without his staff, but the two knew better than to confront the trickster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Soldier, Emiya has failed, and your sorry, pathetic excuse for a Servant was going to lose eventually, so I have decided to offer salvation, out of the kindness of my heart” said Loki, faux-sincerity dripping with every word of his mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold your tongue, cur!” yelled Arthur, incensed at the trickster’s words. While Arjuna was his enemy, he was an exemplary and honorable opponent, and Arthur refused to allow such a man to be besmirched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose this fool is one of our allies, Master?” asked Arjuna to the Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Soldier winced, not responding vocally, but signalling to Arjuna that Loki was not to be trusted...yet was still an ally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki teleported to the Soldier and Arjuna, then the trio teleported away, leaving Clint, Natasha, and Arthur alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That man...he was different. Akin to a Divine Spirit, but something else as well” muttered Arthur, noting how distressingly similar he was to Morgan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His name is Loki, we’ve had a run-in with him before” said Natasha, not elaborating further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” said Clint, nursing his fractured rib, “We should probably find Rin and then regroup with the others. If Hydra’s behind this, we’ll need all the help we can get”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A scent of food wafted over the three; each one recognizing it as...curry?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I believe things might be a bit more complicated…” said Sister Ciel, eating a plate of curry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quiet...a lack of sound. Steve couldn’t hear anything at all, it might have been an explosion deafening him temporarily, but he rushed forward, ignoring the pain in his chest, and the weight of his limbs. It was almost over; the Ju-s were almost finished deploying their load. If he could just protect the people for a few more minutes…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just a few...more minutes” wheezed Steve. It hurt to breathe, but he ignored the pain and continued running, grabbing more people to shuttle them to safety.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then...it stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer had unleashed a wave of cerulean fire, burning away the remaining bombs and destroying several of the bombers. This was the last wave, so she utterly annihilated them all, with the grace and skill befitting that of a valkyrie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt relief wash over his body, as he shrank the connection. With Lancer back on the ground, she no longer needed to use Prana Burst continuously. She felt the loss of Prana, but paid it no mind; she had found him...found her beloved Sigurd.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer walked to Steve, no, to Sigurd. They were of similar height and build, but their faces and hair were completely different; no rational person would ever confuse them in broad daylight. Lancer, however, was not rational, she was quite mad. It was not the battle madness of a Berserker Class Servant, but the madness of a woman driven over the edge by love.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sigurd...my beloved Sigurd...you’ve come back to me” whispered Lancer as she approached Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve took a step back in surprise; Lancer was always taciturn, her beautiful face frozen in a perpetual frown. Here, however, it was alight with joy, and she seemed to radiate like a goddess. However, he also felt a knot in his stomach; years of battle had sharpened his instincts to a razor’s edge, and despite the bombers’ destruction, he felt like his life was more in danger now than it ever was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer closed the distance between them, embracing Steve as if he were her lover. Steve took note of how warm she was; truthfully, it had been a long time since he was with a woman, something Natasha often teased him about. Reflexively, he reached for his shield, as if Lancer was going to spear him through the chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was illogical; with her weapon, any attempt to stab Steve would run herself through as well. Furthermore, she had sworn loyalty to him, and had made no attempt on his life despite them being alone together for quite some time. On the contrary, Lancer had used her Runes to heal Steve when he was injured. So...why?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why, despite everything, was Steve terrified of Lancer at this moment?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sigurd…” said Lancer again; this time, close enough that Steve could hear her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer?!” Steve broke her embrace, shield at the ready.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer seemed to be in shock, a look of horror and repulsion splashing across her previously lovely face. It looked like she wanted to cry, but simply could not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master...I’m sorry…” said Lancer, who then fell to her knees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer...I-” started Steve, before sensing something else approaching them. Everybody in the town was hiding underground; except for the ones who couldn’t be saved. As such, nobody could be there except for Steve and Lancer...yet there was somebody here…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer quickly stood up, ashamed of herself but pushing those feelings down to protect her Master. Now that she was on the ground, and her mind was clear, she realized that there was a presence here...one that had been observing them since they arrived. Was this presence...a Servant?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aww, that was a waste…” said a woman’s voice, she sounded like a young girl on the cusp of puberty, “I wanted to see you two kiss and get married!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve turned around, and saw the source of the voice; she was a short girl, with platinum blonde hair cut short and loose. She was wearing a light blue dress, with matching shoes; she looked to be around 12 or 13, but her eyes twinkled with the innocence of someone even younger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?!” asked Steve angrily. Despite her young appearance, Steve could feel she was dangerous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer pounced, running the young girl through with her spear, burning with flames. Like Steve, she also understood that the enemy was NOT a little girl; Lancer knew that she was dangerous and must not be permitted to live.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lancer?” asked Steve warily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s rude, I didn’t even get to introduce myself!” said the blonde girl, reappearing behind Steve, “My name is ****** ******, pleased to meet you two”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve turned around, shield up and on guard. He had heard the girl talking, but when she mentioned her name...Steve couldn’t hear it. As if the world itself was scared of permitting her to speak her name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer rushed to Steve's side, brandishing her spear with clear intent on running the nameless girl through if she stepped any closer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There we go! I love to see people in love, y’know. It’s why I asked Mr. Schmidt to order a bombing run on this ugly town, people show so much love when they’re about to die” said the nameless girl, this time spinning with glee, “At first, I was a bit saddened when Mr. America and his Servant interfered, but when I saw how much love she had, I got excited. But Mr. America, you should be nicer to-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The nameless girl then cut herself off, as if someone had silenced her. She pouted for a second, eyes closed as if she was in conversation with an unseen figure; eventually, she sighed, and turned to address Steve and Lancer once more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, my Servant tells me we should take our leave. She’s such a naggy woman…” said the nameless girl, turning to leave, “I really want to see you again Mr. America! And I think Mr. Schmidt wants to as well!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve felt his vision begin to fade out, Lancer turned to him in surprise, before shifting into spirit form. Eventually, Steve’s vision went white completely, and he felt like he was floating, like a fish in the river</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony stared at the person on the floor, noting his dusty blonde hair and perfect jawline. Bruce quickly began to geek out over the implications of time travel, but Tony was focused more on Gilgamesh's eyes, which practically exploded in delight upon seeing Cap’s return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Cap, how’s it going? Y’know, you’ve gone both backwards and forwards in time now. You’ve got to be, like, a thousand year old by now” said Tony as Cap began to stir awake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, what can I say, these things happen to me a lot. I can see you broke another armor, you should probably ask Jarvis to keep those in stock” retorted Steve, now fully awake and standing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steve, you’re back! You gave us a scare, you know” said Bruce, “Dr. Strange, thank you so much! We really couldn’t do this without you”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve turned to address the sorcerer in the room, his hands glowing with mystical power.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re Dr. Strange? Thank you, for rescuing me” said Steve, offering his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome Captain,” responded Strange, shaking Steve’s hand, “Gilgamesh would have had a fit if I failed”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve turned to regard Gilgamesh; his spiky blonde hair and red eyes marking him as very different compared to everyone else. Lancer materialized by his side, spear at the ready and eyes glared in pre-emptive defense.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hahaha!” laughed Gilgamesh, his smile widening even further, “Strange, I applaud your efforts. This story grows more fantastic with each new character”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gilgamesh continued laughing, as if he were privy to some joke that the others were ignorant of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, this is one of those ‘Servants’ that Strange mentioned? Damn she’s hot, wonder if I could get a hold of one…” asked Tony, looking over Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lancer turned to regard Tony and Bruce, remembering from Steve’s description that they were heroes of the modern era. Tony Stark, Iron Man. Bruce Banner, Hulk. Tony seemed to be an arrogant and proud man, certainly not very heroic, by Lancer’s opinion. Bruce was more humble, but Lancer had a difficult time believing he could turn into an unstoppable force of nature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, Lancer would trust in them as her Master did; allies are scarce in a Holy Grail War.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tony and Bruce filled Steve on what had happened since his disappearance. Steve couldn’t recall much of his trip to the past, a side effect of Strange’s magic, but he told them about Lancer, and the Holy Grail War. A wish in exchange for all the violence and bloodshed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steve, this whole thing is…” started Bruce, looking for the words to describe the insanity they had gotten involved in, “If you think this Holy Grail War is worth it, we’re behind you”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, I appreciate it” responded Steve, “By the way, where’s Thor? I haven’t seen him”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He took off to England to help Clint and Natasha. Apparently, they had a run in with these Servants over there as well” said Tony, neglecting to mention their encounter with the Winter Soldier, “Apparently, Hydra’s also involved with this too”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, they’ve probably been preparing this for a while” said Bruce, “They’ve probably got six Servants with them; there were seven facilities, but we only stopped one”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steve pondered the information. Bruce, Tony, and Thor were strong by themselves, but he didn’t like his chances against a Servant, assuming they were even half as strong as Lancer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were also the Masters, magicians that were dangerous in their own right. Without Zemo, there would be six Masters as well. 12 opponents in total.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So Doc, are you with us?” asked Tony to Dr. Strange.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, but no” responded Strange, “I have my own duties to sort out, so I cannot follow you”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re retreating from an offer to fight? You’re quite the boring one, aren’t you Strange?” snarked Gilgamesh, disappointed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I finish with that, then I’ll consider joining” said Strange, “Until then, let’s go Archer”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange created a circle sparkling with magic, then walked through, disappearing from the area. Gilgamesh walked through, but not before turning back to look at his promised foes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, our next plan should be to rendezvous with Thor and the others. I figure Hydra is going to pick us off one by one, so we should stick together and avoid getting isolated” said Steve.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...solid plan Cap…” said Tony, surprisingly quiet despite his snarky personality</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A white haired woman walked towards the door to a meeting room, nervous and trying desperately to hide her discomfort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Relax Master, you are in the presence of the sun itself, after all” said a male’s voice to the woman’s side, “As the Master who summoned the strongest Servant, you should demand to be made first amongst peers”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you Rider, but these people are...well, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Einzbern’s debt,” said the woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened the door, and walked through. She was greeted by several people sitting at a conference table, all turned to address their newest ally. The man at the head of the table stood up, monocle flaring and appearing to glow, hiding his eye.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, the Master of Rider is here. Please, Ms. Einzbern, take a seat and join us” said Baron Von Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” said Einzbern, sitting at one of two empty tables, “My name is Irisviel Von Einzbern, I am the Master of Rider, Ramses the Second”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well done, Ms. Einzbern. Now, let us introduce ourselves; manifest your Servants so we may share information” said Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A terrifying man with a metal arm stood up; his Servant, a dark haired man with a bow, manifested at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Winter Soldier. Servant Archer, Arjuna” said the Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strucker’s Servant manifested at his Master’s side. A giant with concrete-like skin, and holding a massive bronze war-axe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baron Von Strucker, current head of Hydra and Master of Berserker, Heracles”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another man stood up, this one was a handsome man with a scowl on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baron Helmhut Zemo...interim Master of Lancer”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel noted that he didn’t mention his Servant...and none manifested at his side. Furthermore, he lacked Command Seals. Clearly, it was a sore spot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another man stood up, this one a handsome man in a dark suit. His green eyes seemed to sparkle in amusement, as if he were looking down on the others. His Servant manifested by his side, a long-haired man that Irisviel recognized in an instant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Loki Odinson, at your service. I am the Master of Caster, Paracelsus”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel almost bit her tongue; Loki was a worldwide threat that almost destroyed New York, and he was the Master of the godfather of all Magi? This was a grave injustice, but Irisviel kept her anger pent up, knowing it wouldn’t do well to make a scene.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The final man stood up. He was young, probably a college student at the most, though his bright orange hair had grey strands mixed throughout. His Servant manifested by his side; a tall, burly knight with green markings on his chest and with a brilliant silver sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’m last. I am Shirou Emiya, Master of Saber. This is Siegfried”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisiviel was surprised by the boy’s frankness. A Servant’s True Name is their identity, and several heroes fell to specific weaknesses; to give away their True Name is to give away their weakness. Siegfried, the Wandering Knight of the Netherlands, was given impenetrable skin from bathing in the blood of the dread dragon Fafnir. A leaf stuck to his back, and the blood did not touch that spot, and it was there he was struck down. To give away Siegfried’s name is to tell everyone where his weak point is...even amongst allies, that is a great deal of trust to place in others.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful, thank you everyone. I should also introduce my lovely secretary, Koyanskaya”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel then heard a pair of high heels walk into the meeting room. She turned to the source of the noise and was taken off guard by the woman’s beauty. Her skin was flawless, and her long pink hair was silky and practically glowed with vitality.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Von Strucker. My name is Koyanskaya, I am the Ruler Class Servant of this Grand Holy Grail War. My loyalty is to you Masters, the ones chosen by the Grail itself” said Koyanskaya, “Oh my, did another girl join? Want to be pen-pals? Us girls need to stick together”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel was caught off guard by Koyanskaya’s sudden questions, charmed by her golden eyes, but caught herself and relaxed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“N-no thank you. Von Strucker, I can’t help but notice...where is the Master of Assassin?” asked Irisviel, pointing out that there were only six Masters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, that’s right, you only arrived recently. Emiya was injured in battle, and is recovering in our medical ward. It may be presumptuous of me, but his Servant is the Hassan of 100 Faces” replied Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both Shirou and the Soldier shifted in discomfort, recalling the night in question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. May I go see him, I am adept in healing Magecraft, and so I may be able to assist in his recovery” said Irisviel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem, I’ll take you there myself” said Koyanskaya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go as well, I wanted to see Fa-I mean, Master of Assassin” said Shirou.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well, I’ll call this meeting to an end. I advise all of you to get along, we are in the middle of a war after all, and one needs all the allies they can muster in war” said Strucker, ending the meeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Koyanskaya led Irisviel and Shirou away, the Soldier stood up. The rest of the Master had departed, leaving the Soldier alone with Von Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Von Strucker, sir, do you think we can trust that woman?” asked the Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Einzbern? She’s soft-hearted, but won’t betray us. It’s not in her nature” responded Von Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mean her,” said the Soldier, who had already sized up Irisviel, “I mean Koyanskaya”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Winter Soldier, what is your role?” asked Von Strucker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“To serve Hydra and their dream to create a perfect world” said the Winter Soldier. It was almost quaint that such a dark man could say something with no irony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And she is our key to that perfect world. As the Ruler Class Servant, she mediates and controls the Grand Holy Grail War; as long as she works with us, our victory is assured”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Soldier didn’t respond; he could not logically counter Von Strucker’s argument. With SHIELD gone, Hydra was in the open, and it was a matter of time before they were crushed by the Avengers, or a number of the world’s intelligence and military agencies. This Grand Holy Grail War was their last chance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still...the Soldier couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong; he walked out of the meeting room and to his own quarters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Arjuna” said the Soldier, mentally, materializing his Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I agree, Master” responded Arjuna. They had been sharing thoughts; perhaps it was due to their similarly quiet natures, but their connection had strengthened to the point where communication could be established nonverbally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am new to this topic, magic and the like. Is she really who she says she is?” asked the Soldier.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was not a Magus in life, so the mysteries of magecraft are unknown to me. However...one of the few times I was ever close to death came from the machinations of a cruel old man and a handful of dice. Take caution, Master”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Another chapter, and the mystery thickens!</p><p>Please read and review! I appreciate every one!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Irisviel walked alongside Shirou and Koyanskaya, awkward feelings arising as she pondered her place in their group.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was the newest addition to Hydra’s task force; a group of Magi taken in and supported by the cell for one purpose, winning the Grand Holy Grail War. Truthfully, Irisviel wanted nothing to do with these people; her knowledge of the outside world was limited due to her growth environment, but she was aware of Hydra’s actions. The death, the chaos, all those who suffered…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, the Einzbern family owed a massive debt to Hydra; the Red Skull saved them from complete collapse during the War. Money, resources, manpower, none of it was beyond his reach, and he generously donated to the Einzberns in their time of need. Irisviel could access the memories of her past self, but possessed no desire; in any case, Hydra had called the bill, and Iri was sent to deliver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, do you truly lack a desire for the Grail?” asked a familiar voice, Ramses the 2nd, or Ozymandias, as he was also called.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither Shirou nor Koyanskaya reacted, Irisviel refused to stay in this base until she had strengthened her connection with Ozymandias to the point where they could communicate mentally, with no possibility of being overheard. It was even easier to perform now that Ozymandias had reverted to spirit form.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Truthfully, no. I couldn’t imagine what I would use it for, and besides…” communicated Irisviel, before casting her eyes towards the others, “I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here we go!” said Koyanskaya, yellow eyes gleaming as she opened the door for Shirou and Irisviel, “That pathetic man is recovering right through this door”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Koyan,” replied Shirou, voice braced with sarcasm from the latter’s remark, “Ms. Einzbern, if-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“NO! Shirou! That’s no good!” cried out Koyanskaya, “How many times do I have to tell you, call me ‘the ever-beautiful, supremely-talented, Koyan-chan’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...No” replied Shirou, not even attempting to hide the poison in his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmph, I swear that boy has the drive of a dead fish; like father like son, as the expression goes…” said Koyanskaya, “I’ll take my leave here, Iri&lt;3”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel followed Shirou into the medical ward, the automatic door sealing behind the two.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re taking this rather far, aren’t you?” asked a silky voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki walked out of the shadows, walking with the strut of a man on the hunt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever do you mean?” asked Koyanskaya, in faux-ignorance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t honestly tell me you find amusement in observing these...miserable wretches live out the pointless existence they call life” said Loki, reducing the distance between the two as he placed his hand on the side of the pink-haired woman’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without a word, the spell was lifted, and two pink-furred ears sprouted from her hair, as did an equally hued tail. Koyanskaya was a vixen in more ways than one.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There we go, much better…” said Loki, “Come now, those like us, we’re beyond these pitiful ants. I propose we...construct a more pleasing arrangement”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki considered himself a master of seduction; regardless of forms, he knew the pleasures of the sex. This technique was an old hat to him, and several women from the past fell for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re an irritant” replied Koyanskaya.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Heartbeat, normal; oxygen concentration, normal; blood pressure, normal. Loki could see his charms held no power to this woman. Instead, Koyanskaya grabbed Loki’s hand with her own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Loki could feel a pressure come over his body, as if his muscles and bones were at their limit and it took all his strength simply to stand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should remind you that I was the one to rescue you from that ugly hole on Asgard where your only comfort was the rags your dear mother begged your father to let you have. I was the one who created a double to disguise your escape so that the ape you call your brother wouldn’t come after you. All of it was due to ME, and thus you are MY tool to use as I see fit. And a tool…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Koyan pushed off Loki’s hand, forcing the trickster to his knees</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t lust after its owner!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki’s heart raced; feeling the shadow of fear clutch him and infect his spirit. This woman was-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let go of him!” said a man’s voice, Caster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a flash of white light, the long-haired man interposed himself between the vixen and his Master. He had his short sword drawn and pointed at the fox-eared woman, several orbs of light glittering like stars above him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caster, you dare raise your hand against the one ordained by the Holy Grail?” asked Koyanskaya, using shapeshifting to hide her ears and tail</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” Caster didn’t respond. Truthfully, he had doubts on the Grail War to begin with; the information the Grail was providing him seemed to have...conflicts. The largest of which was the identity of the Ruler Class Servant meant to oversee the Grand Holy Grail War.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Ruler Class was a special aberration meant to be summoned if the Grail sensed that outside forces were at work. They were supposed to act as an impartial arbitrator, enforcing the rules and will of the Grail itself. The thought of a Ruler aligning with a Master, let alone a cabal of Masters, was anathema to their role.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“‘Can this woman really be the Ruler?’” asked Koyanskaya, “That’s what you’re thinking right now? It’s written all over your face”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caster, I believe our vixen friend here, may be hiding more secrets. I will assist you in exposing them” said Loki, returning to his feet and brandishing Asgardian daggers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sheesh, you’re definitely not my type, Odinson” said Koyanskaya, giving a huff of disappointment, before removing her white gloves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Masters were given Command Seals as proof that the Grail had chosen them as a Master. Servants were, ordinarily, never granted Command Seals; even if they were, unless a contract was established, they’d have no use against a fellow Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Koyan’s hands were absolutely plastered with Command Seals; red glyphs overtook each other, running ragged across her otherwise lovely hands. Both Caster and Loki possessed the ability to discern the Command Seals as genuine; and both were astonished by the number.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Masters were given 3 Seals, though they may try and steal from enemy Masters or may be awarded one for certain actions. The Ruler was given two Seals for every Servant; discarding themselves, that would come out to 30 Seals in total.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two men counted over a hundred Seals slathered across Koyanskaya’s hands. Caster tried to process this implication, but nothing in his considerable array of knowledge could explain this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Caster, I could force you to kill your Master, then yourself? Or perhaps make you tell me what prosaic morals bind you, then order you to defile them? However, that would be a waste of resources, so I’ll permit you to take back your actions” said Koyanskaya, her golden eyes practically glowing in malice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” Caster was silent, but his sword and magic disappeared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki sheathed his daggers as well, understanding his Servant’s logic. While he possessed 3 Command Seals of his own, any attempt to regain control of Caster with them could be counteracted by Koyanskaya’s own Command Seals. She’d come out on top, but be forced to use more than what she cared for; a waste of resources indeed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I apologize for my, and my Servant’s, insolence. Let me inform you that it will never happen again” said Loki. Unlike Shirou, his voice held no audible form of sarcasm, but Caster could sense, through their bond, the anger and indignation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful!” replied Koyanskaya, covering her hands with gloves, then walking off to find another victim to harass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki was left to stew in his own bitterness. Rescued by a fox, only to be turned into her thrall and forced to lower himself like a common mercenary. This could not, should not, stand. He turned towards Caster, noticing the quiet man had yet to return to spirit form.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, it would seem like our altercation had a witness” said Caster, gazing in a far off direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At those words, Arjuna appeared in a shower of white sparkles, eyes steeled in a wordless message. The archer then turned around and walked down another hallway; it was an indication to follow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suggest we follow him, Master. Perhaps Archer’s Master wishes to form an alliance?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Loki carefully thought through his options, before giving a hoarse laugh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine, let’s see what the Nornir have planned for us then”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shirou looked down at his father, hooked up several machines in a small room. Kiritsugu’s external injuries were minor and not life-threatening, but the damage to his internal organs, particularly his heart, was far greater. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tohsaka did this…!” muttered Shirou. Logically, he understood that Rin was not the direct cause; the source of the damage was backlash from the Time Accel Quadruple, and he was injured in combat with an enemy Master.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, seeing Kiritsugu in this condition was new for Shirou. Throughout their years of travel and operations, the Magus Killer had never taken an injury like this. Every possibility was planned, and every advantage taken; nothing was left to chance, and all fell by his gun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s in terrible shape” said Irisviel, observing Kiritsugu, “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to completely restore his condition, but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel placed her hands, glowing white, on the bedridden man’s chest. Immediately, Kiritsugu twitched in pain, eyes still closed, while the machines registered a spike in activity. After agonizing minutes, Kiritsugu finally opened his eyes, and his breathing slowed while the EKG read a more stable heartbeat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ms. Einzbern?!” asked Shirou, concerned about Irisviel. Kiritsugu had told him that healing magecraft is one of the most difficult and rare in the world. For Irisviel to openly use it on a rival Master, even one she was marginally aligned towards, was a sign of compassion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, just used a bit too much Prana” replied Irisviel, recovering her condition, “Mr. Emiya, how are you feeling now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiritsugu sat up, coughing painfully, but no longer in danger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...My cardiac tissue is operating at roughly 50% function, and my lungs have been damaged from fluid buildup...but-” Kiritsugu tried to crawl out of the hospital gurney, limbs shaking but eyes frosted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“F-Father!? You should rest more! Even though Ms. Einzbern healed you-” said Shirou, hurrying to Kiritsugu’s side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t. Every second I waste in bed is another second the Grail escapes our grasp. Shirou-” grunted Kiritsugu, attempting to stand up, before collapsing on the floor</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ramses!” cried Irisviel, manifesting the golden Rider Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmph, you must have a disgustingly high opinion of yourself, Master of Assassin” said Ramses, gingerly lifting Kiritsugu and placing him back in the medical gurney, “My Master did her best to heal your broken body, and you repay her efforts by throwing yourself on the floor like a common mop”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” Kiritsugu said nothing, but glared at the Rider, unable to find a logical retort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“H-Hey, Father is simply dedicated to getting the Grail!” responded Shirou, trying to defend the older man, “That aside, Ms. Einzbern, how long do you think Father will have to rest?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Call me Iri, it’s fine” said Irisviel, “Hmm, assuming he doesn’t hurt himself further, he should be ready in three days”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three days of recovery; Kiritsugu pondered those words while relaying orders to Assassin. His only ally here in Hydra, Shirou, would take command of the Hundred Faces. Truthfully, he didn’t believe they would have compatible synergy with Siegfried, but Shirou was the only person Kiritsugu could trust here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Iri, for helping Father” said Shirou, bowing to the white-haired woman, “Father, if you need anything, let me know”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...” Kiritsugu didn’t say anything, but the slight exchange between their eyes signified a strong bond, one that Irisviel couldn’t help but feel slightly envious of.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Irisviel, perhaps these individuals could be our allies in the upcoming campaign?” asked Ramses, mentally.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Irisviel could understand his logic; if she couldn’t trust the others, then even the power of a Servant like Ramses could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A-hem!” coughed Irisviel, drawing Kiritsugu’s and Shirou’s attention, “I apologize if I’m being too forward, but I couldn’t help but garner some curiosity about your desire for the Grail”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, it’s okay Iri, Father and I-” started Shirou, before being cut off by Kiritsugu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shirou, don’t tell her anything. She is our ally in only the most marginal of circumstances” said Kiritsugu.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ramses glared at the dark-haired man; he had accepted his Master’s healing magecraft when it was convenient, but was happy to throw her away when she was no longer useful. He had clearly overestimated the Master of Assassin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Father, she did heal you. I think we can trust her” said Shirou, weighing in Irisviel’s actions, “And, she is offering to heal you further so you can get better”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, at least the son was of much higher moral standing, thought Ramses, in approval. In the past, the people of his kingdom acted as one, and with that power, they could achieve several magnificent feats that continued to survive into the modern day. When he heard that the world of the modern age had heroes, Ramses genuinely believed that humanity had grown closer to the sun. At the very least, it seemed he was half-right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was merely a curiosity” said Irisviel, giving a slight bow, “Regardless, I will do my best to restore your health, even if you distrust me. However, I must take my leave, it is getting quite late, and the flight here was...rough”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hahaha, you are too sensitive Irisviel, Mesesktet has been the mount for Gods! Those metal birds that humans use are but pale imitations of the boat that ferries the sun!” said Ramses, in a single breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shirou and Kiritsugu decided against further questions, deciding that the tanned Servant should never be left in charge of travel planning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>—————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natasha stared at the girl in front of her, analyzing every inch of her face and body; the slight curve of the eyes, nose, chin, lips, and a million smaller details certainly indicated a familial connection with Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl’s hair was shorter, to be certain, but the weave of strands and thickness was identical to Rin’s hair as well, minus a slight difference in color.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow! Y-you’re, I mean-...” said the girl shyly, face erupting in red as her cerulean eyes, a perfect match to Rin’s, stole glances at the red headed heroine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s me” said Natasha, giving a halfhearted smile as she saw the young girl, “Black Widow”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“M-my name is...Sakura Tohsaka!” replied the young girl, after some effort and a great deal of volume.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sakura, huh? Well, that’s a lovely name!” said Clint, on Natasha’s side, bandaging a wound, “Tell me, Sakura, how old are you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The short girl took a moment to compose her thoughts, counting fingers until she reached her answer. She didn’t say anything, but proudly displayed four upright fingers on her right hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Four, huh? Impressive! I have a daughter around your age, y’know. Pretty sure you two would get along; talk about Barbies, ponies, and other things that’d give me a heart attack” said Clint, with a smile in his voice</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hehehe” laughed Sakura, slowly relaxing in front of two of her favorite heroes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Black Widow and Hawkeye, two Avengers right in front of her, in the flesh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You have a daughter, Hawkeye? I must admit I am a bit envious; my own family was...rather against what I had hoped” said Arthur, tending to his Master, “At the very least, I’d hoped my child would be at least half as lovely as Lady Sakura”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,Saber, don’t go talking to Sakura that easily…” said Rin, groaning with effort.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was lucky; for once in her life, Lady Luck had smiled on her. Kiritsugu Emiya’s Origin Bullets, a Mystic Code that had claimed the Circuits of scores of Magi before her, had failed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not due to Rin’s own efforts, but due to a stroke of fate. She looked down on her right hand, counting the remaining Command Seals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Command Seals were a type of pseudo-Circuit; when Rin felt the foreign Origin strike her, she moved it somewhere else. She had lost a Command Seal, but kept her Circuits.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She then collapsed, as several Magi had done in the past when faced with the Magus Killer, and tricked him into lowering his guard. She used one of her special jewels to counterattack, but he escaped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, Rin had made it to Sakura. Between killing an enemy Master, and protecting Sakura, it wasn’t a choice to Rin. Everything was for Sakura</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That Master wasn’t the one you were looking for,” said Arthur, whispering to Rin, “You could have pressed your attack, but opted to protect your younger sister. I find that commendable, Master, but you recognized him as well”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t a question. Arthur had felt Rin’s experiences from their bond. While it wasn’t a very long one, Arthur could still feel her anger, pain, and surprise. He knew that his Master expected someone else to be acting as an enemy Master, and was surprised by the appearance of Assassin’s Master.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur felt hundreds of ideas swirling in his head, but put them aside for now. Answers would come, as long as he trusted in his allies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Rin, how’re you holding up?” asked Natasha, after Clint finished patching her up, and she returned the favor, “Arthur here told us you ran into some trouble”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A million bucks…” said Rin, trying to hold back a pang of nausea, “...Thanks, by the way…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natasha smiled as she stitched a cut on Clint’s right arm, amused as the latter was showing pictures of his daughters to Sakura.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome…” replied Natasha, not yet entirely used to the idea of being thanked for being a hero.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group had returned to Sister Ciel’s church, deciding it would be easier to defend if they were attacked again. Sister Ciel, for her part, was in the kitchen, preparing curry for her guests.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur and Natasha turned towards the double doors, picking up on the sound of someone rapidly approaching their location.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur readied his sword, preparing for another Servant, Natasha pulled out another pistol, certain a Master would try to attack the injured Clint and Rin, or Sakura.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The doors opened, not even providing the slightest of resistance to the figure. Dust from the outside came into the church, kicked up from the shockwave.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Clint, Natasha! It’s good to see you’re still alive!” said a familiar voice, Thor’s, “And...Steve! You’re back! Did the sorcerer’s magic send you here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor broke into a large smile upon seeing Arthur, confusing him for Steve Rogers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s not Steve, Thor. That’s King Arthur. Don’t feel bad, threw us for a loop too” said Clint</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor flew over to Arthur, the latter dispelling his invisible sword.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I see. I apologize, King Arthur, I got you confused for one of my allies. You two look similar, except he uses a shield and you a...sword”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur was surprised; Thor could see the shape of Excalibur? He also flew at quite a distance and was far stronger than a human could possibly be. Was he a Servant? Impossible, Servants could sense other Servants, and Thor was flesh and blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is okay, I am glad to meet one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I am Arthur Pendragon, a Hero from the past”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“An Einherjar, err, Servant, then?” asked Thor, before turning to Rin, “Then you must be his Master?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s it you, blondie?” asked Rin sarcastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other two Avengers, Black Widow and Hawkeye, didn’t know anything about the Holy Grail War, but this one, Thor, did. Rin believed in staying suspicious at all times, her run-in with the older Emiya merely solidified that belief.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Young sorceress, what is your goal for the Grail?” asked Thor, suddenly serious, “My people have deemed the Grail an object of immense power, why does a girl like you seek it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thor’s question reverberated across the church, shifting the temperature in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clint and Natasha both felt that Rin was trustworthy, but the Grail was a relic they had no reference for. It could be used to destroy a city, like the Tessarect, or worse…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As the heir to the Tohsaka name, I plan on using the Grail to increase the prestige of my family’s Magecraft,” said Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a lie. Clint, Natasha, and Arthur could all catch the lie quite easily. The slight shift of her eyes, the unconscious fidgeting of her fingers, or almost unnoticeable stutter in her voice; it was clear to those three that Rin was not being truthful about her intentions.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sister, you’re amazing!” said Sakura in amazement, “And you! Mr. Thor, you shouldn’t bully sister!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sakura walked up to Thor, easily more than twice her height, and put her hands on her hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I apologize, little one,” said Thor sheepishly, before turning back to Rin, “Fine, that’s an acceptable condition. Once you’ve used the Grail, I trust there won’t be any objections if I take it to Asgard? A relic like that shouldn’t be left on Midgard, you understand”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“None whatsoever!” said Rin, relief flooding her limbs as her lie went undetected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, Thor, you know the situation then?” asked Natasha</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Grand Holy Grail War. A battle between heroes of legend over a relic called the Holy Grail. Stark was attacked earlier by Caster; fortunately, I am mighty” said Thor, hefting his hammer with a fond look on his face, “We then met Archer, a rather odd fellow, and his Master informed Stark, Banner, and myself”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Archer huh? Did he say what his name was? Arthur over there fought an Archer as well” asked Clint</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gilgamesh of Uruk. A familiar name, to be sure” replied Thor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, the Archer I fought wasn’t him, judging by his clothing, appearance, and skill with a bow, I suspect he hails from India. Perhaps Rama?” said Arthur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, there’s two Archers?” asked Natasha, “Do the Servants come in pairs?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, they do,” said a familiar voice, Sister Ciel’s, “There are two of every standard Class: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Along with two Rulers to oversee the Grail War”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sets of two, does that mean they operate as a group?” asked Clint.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Group?! I thought I was alone!” said Rin, incensed at the idea of having to fight 15 Servants and Masters by herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sister Ciel offered a bowl of curry to everyone present, it’d shame the image of the church to let anyone go hungry, before resuming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ordinarily, no. The Grail was supposed to beckon the Servants and Masters, so they may fight one-on-one at predetermined locations. My own church was supposed to be one of those locales, but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At this, Sister Ciel lifted up the sleeves of her habit, revealing a disfiguring red scar traced from elbow to palm on both hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?!” asked Natasha with alarm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Around a year ago, my Judge’s Seals, given to those of the Church who provide the battlegrounds for the Servants, disappeared. As they were inside my arms, I suffered quite a bit of damage” responded Ciel, covering her arms again, “I assure you, they’re much better now than back then. I can still call upon the piece of the Grail under this Church to create a barrier, but I can no longer enforce the rules. If two Servants were to ally themselves, I would be unable to stop them”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Grail is here?!” asked Rin, incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Part of it, to be exact. The Judges Seals are used to beckon Servants to fight, and the victor takes the shard of the Grail underneath the church as a prize” said Sister Ciel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if two Servants both have pieces of the Grail, the winner takes the loser’s pieces” said Clint, “And the last Servant standing will have them all”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Precisely” said Sister Ciel</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arthur already knew this information, the Grail had provided him with the knowledge upon his summoning. It was logical; by calling Servants to fight each other in such a manner, civilians wouldn’t be put at risk; the church Judges could enforce the rules and prevent foul play; with two Rulers, any Servants that did try and fight back could be suppressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Emiya and the Winter Soldier were working together though” said Natasha, “That’s supposed to be against the rules...and right when the ref is unable to enforce the rules…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Natasha was musing on the events of the night. If the sister was telling the truth, then the entire altercation with Emiya and Barnes should have never happened. The Grail War would be conducted in shadows, and nobody would have been any wiser. Natasha had been in the spy game for a very long time; coincidences like tonight simply didn’t happen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think it was intentional then,” said Clint, following up on Natasha’s thoughts, “That Emiya and the Soldier knew they’d be able to act as a team. But that would still require them to know that Rin was going to summon Arthur tonight. The time, location, everything was perfect…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master, did you inform anybody of when you intended to summon me?” asked Arthur, quickly picking up on the two Avengers’ line of thought, “Anybody at all?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No...not even Sakura knew I had stepped out…” whispered Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She too had realized that Emiya and the metal-armed man had perfect timing. Rin intended on her summoning to be done in complete secret, even the hotel room was booked under an alias.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet the duo still knew...how could they have known? Perhaps there was a third Servant with a scrying Noble Phantasm? No, they would’ve used that to kill Rin before she summoned Arthur…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Banner mentioned that, he believes, there were seven of these Servants summoned, around the same time” said Thor, contributing his own knowledge and thoughts, “The Winter Soldier was a Master, as was Emiya; both of them had connections with Hydra”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you saying, there’s a terrorist organization armed with magic weapons of mass destruction!” asked Natasha, incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, it’s probably more than just Barnes and Emiya, then,” said Clint, “I’d wager they’re part of a strike force. Seven Masters, each with a different Servant, working together while everyone else fights amongst themselves”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about the Rulers?” asked Rin, “The Rulers should have known about this and stopped it a long time ago!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin didn’t know too much about Hydra, but she knew they were responsible for launching airships that would gun down their enemies. To Rin’s surprise, she had discovered her own name was on the list of targets.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The Rulers would have known…” said Arthur, considering the possibilities.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They would have known when Rin would summon” said Natasha.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They would be able to suspend the Judges Seals” said Sister Ciel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The atmosphere dropped several degrees. From the knowledge the group had gleaned, they could only make one conclusion:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Rulers had abandoned their duty. No, they probably planned on obtaining the Grail themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Clint stood up, and walked over towards Rin, Sakura, and Arthur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rin, I think it might be best if we took you in” said Clint, “If Hydra has a bunch of these Servants working together, it’d be best that we team up as well”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An invitation to join forces and collaborate against a common foe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin understood Clint’s logic; as a magus, she could assist them with her knowledge, Arthur’s strength would be invaluable as well. On the same token, the Avengers were strong in their own right, and they could provide a united front against Hydra. Particularly if the others could also summon Servants.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rin couldn’t honestly see a downside to a union, at least temporarily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very well. I accept your offer. As part of my terms, you must protect Sakura, even if it costs you your life, got it?” replied Rin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sakura’s safety, that was her condition.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem, she’s safe in our hands” said Natasha, smiling at the young girl’s glee</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I get to wear a hero costume as well? I want to be Hawkeye! Or Black Widow!” said Sakura, face glowing in awe at the thought of joining the Avengers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>——————————</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The sun was beginning to rise, as Stephen Strange surveyed his surroundings. The Han temple was torn to pieces, as wood and stone lay strewn around the courtyard. Statues depicting gods and protectors were reduced to rubble, while heat erupted from further within the complex.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The temple itself was no more, but at its center, there was a massive crater, with intense heat surging outwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Looks like we were late…” whispered Strange, “That’s another temple attacked”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were no monks or sorcerers nearby, aside from Strange himself. This was unusual, as the monks would’ve guarded the temple with their lives, so where were they?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“M-Master Strange!” cried out a voice, deep within the ruined temple.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange turned and saw a monk, probably in his mid-20’s, standing at the edge of the crater.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gilgamesh!” said Strange, materializing his temporary Servant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange suspected it might be a trap, but despite his power, he was unsure if he could fight off several opponents in close quarters. Gilgamesh, however, could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as Gilgamesh crossed the threshold, the monk let out another scream. A hand erupted from</span>
</p><p>
  <span>the ground, it’s skin bright red and with a texture akin to molten rock burst from beneath the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The creature’s arm grabbed the monks, paralyzing him to the spot. The rest of its body rose out of the ground, seeming to shift and vibrate, as if it were made from magma itself. It had a humanoid form, but was far too large to be a human. Its arms were too long, hanging by its ankles. The creature had a mask covering its face, until…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“[[[[[]]]]]]]”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It roared. With a deafening sound, the mask broke, revealing a maw of sharpened teeth as long as daggers. With a single movement, too fast for Gilgamesh to stop it, the giant ate the monk, while the boy burned in its grip and mouth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tch, giants. Eater of humans that refuse to cede their dominion long after their time has passed” said Gilgamesh, drawing his twin blades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was only 10 meters between the two, yet the giant’s fist, stretched out and collided with Gilgamesh’s swords.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gilgamesh, with a single, brisk movement, cut the giant’s hand, causing it to recoil in pain. Simultaneously, he opened a ring of orbs atop his back; Bab-Ilu. Gilgamesh’s command of his treasury opened, and a blast of swords rocketed towards the giant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eight swords struck first, shaped like crystals of ice. As they connected with the monster’s skin, they exploded and created massive glaciers, sapping the creature’s strength. The final two swords struck the giant’s head and chest, right where the brain and heart would be, and exploded with intense force, reducing the weakened giant to dust with a single attack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange walked in, Magic at the ready in case another giant appeared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was a trap meant for you, Strange” said Gilgamesh, sheathing his swords and closing the orbs, “I suspect our foe paralyzed the boy and his that filthy beast under the ground. You would rush in quickly to save his life, unaware of the danger, or unable to act against it”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It wouldn’t have killed me,” said Strange, “Maybe if there were several, I might have been in trouble”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I concur. I suspect that the men who lived here may have destroyed most of the giants our foe brought with him, and were eaten in turn”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Strange felt his hands shake, pain running through his fingers as he imagined the attack on the temple. Who could have done this! Who could have the ability to command giants in the modern age?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gilgamesh, in the crater, can you see if it’s there?” asked Strange, fearing the worst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do not need to, my eyes can see many things; the shard of the Grail is missing…</span>
</p>
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